The More Things Change
by Sandman Cometh
Summary: Sequel to Black Rose. Twenty years from now, the Titans have retired and are raising kids of their own. These children are unaware of their heroic lineage. But forces from the past are resurfacing, creating the need to rebuild the legendary Teen Titans
1. Family Ties

**The More Things Change….**

Chap. 1

Family Ties

_A story like this should start in a large T, in the bay of Jump City. But it's not going to. You see, things have changed in this little world. Twenty years have passed, and the characters we know have grown up. Some have moved on, some have left the game. But then again, this story isn't really about them. Yet whom can it be about then? With that little question of plot left in the air, let's begin the tale. We open in a house in the Jump City suburbs, in a bedroom decorated in gray wallpaper and covered with pictures of certain male movie stars and horror monsters. If you haven't guessed, this is the bedroom of a teenage girl, albeit a slightly odd and currently sleeping one. However, that condition is about to change…_

Slowly, the small figure advanced on the bed. Dressed in shorts and a black shirt, he wore no shoes on his feet. He moved silently, with a skill and grace that seemed unnatural for any human to posses. Grinning, he inched his way closer and closer, until he finally came to the foot of the bed. Looking over it, he saw the being in the bed groan and twist in the covers. The figure took this as his time to strike and he did so with the greatest pleasure.

"Wake-up time Sis!" the young boy yelled gleefully, as he leapt onto the bed, scaring the hell out of his sister. The older girl in the bed let out a yelp of surprise, then her eyes narrowed as she saw what had scared her.

"Bart, do you have to do that every single day!" she snarled as she pushed him off the bed. However, Bart just kept smiling and said, "Well, if you didn't sleep through your alarm clock every day, I wouldn't have to, Kitty-Cath."

Still annoyed, the girl pushed the covers off and sat up in bed. "What did I ever do to deserve you for a little brother?" she asked. "Aw Katie, maybe I'm a reward for you." Bart suggested.

"You are way too much like Dad." Katie answered grimly. Bart just smiled even more at that. He loved being compared to his father, especially in the area of pranks. Their mother had said that their dad was a huge inventor of 'ridiculous pranks.' Bart intended to one-up his dad and it always seemed like he would do it one day. No one was really that surprised about it. Bart was most assuredly his father's child; at only eleven he was the spitting image of the man. His face was almost completely identical to his father's, except for the pointed chin and purple eyes from his mom. His hair, while green, was longer then his dad's and had a habit of falling into his eyes. Still, that hair color was the only odd factor about him. Otherwise Bart was completely normal, except in the eyes of his sister.

"You better hurry Katie. Mom and Dad made eggs for breakfast." Bart said.

"Both of them or just Dad?" Katie asked, fearing the kind of eggs that her father usually made.

"Don't worry, Mom made sure that he made both kinds."

"Great, then how about you get of here so I can get ready?" she asked, grabbing the boy's shirt collar and dragging him out the door before he had a chance to so for himself. Shutting it quickly, Katie sighed and walked over to her dresser to grab some clothes for the day. After settling on a black skirt and an old T-shirt, she turned her attention to the vanity mirror above the dresser.

As she looked herself over, Katie shook out her hair and using her comb, pulled it down the sides of her face as much as possible. As Bart was like their father, she was obviously her mother's daughter at thirteen. She had few traits from her father, save her green eyes, round face and her ears, which had caused her to grow her hair long. Those ears were pointed at the tips, causing her to look like an elf whenever she pulled her hair back. Katie had been teased about them for the first year of school, so she refused to get any kind of haircut that would keep her from covering them up. As her long purple hair fell into place, she finally decided that she looked acceptable, and grabbing a pair of sneakers, walked downstairs for breakfast.

"Sounds like she's up." Garfield said, as he picked up the sports section. "Good thing I made eggs then, or she never would've gotten up, even for school." Raven said from across the table.

At that, the being once called Beast Boy put down the paper and gave his wife a hard glare. "My tofu eggs are fine. She's eaten them before."

"Yeah, but haven't you noticed how she always has the same amount on her plate all the time?"

"…… Darn it."

Garfield turned back to the paper then, but took a look over it to see Raven's smile. It was perhaps the most important thing for him to see in the morning. Ever since the Titans and B.R.A.T.S had disbanded, that smile had been the strongest reminder of the old days. Even though Garfield was happy with the life he had now, he always had fond memories of the time that they had spent in the Tower. And since the Tower had been closed down years ago, Gar was now forced to use a holo-emitter to hide his skin, and they rarely got together with their old friends anymore, Garfield took whatever reminders he could get. True, sometimes Raven said that he was trying to live in the past, but he always said going from superhero to manager of S-Mart required that occasionally. Then again, being almost thirty-five and twenty years retired didn't help matters either.

Garfield forced those thoughts out of his head for the moment as his children came down the stairs. "Mom, Dad, I know I oversleep," Katie began as she came down, "But can't you get Bart to stop jumping on my bed every single day?"

At that, Raven turned to her son and said, "Didn't I tell you to wake your sister up gently?"

"But Mom, I can't get her up any other way. She can't hear me through her snores."

"I do not snore!" Katie snapped.

"You know, we wouldn't have this problem if you could just wake on time Katie." Garfield said, as he pulled out a chair for his daughter. Katie gave no answer, just sat down and began to eat her breakfast. Bart also sat, and quickly devoured his meal. Soon, the time came for the kids to head out to school. Slinging their backpacks over their shoulders, Katie and Bart kissed their parents good-bye and headed out the door.

As the children walked to school, they neglected to look up at the large oak tree that overshadowed their house. If they had, they would've seen something interesting. Nestled in the branches of the tree were two figures. They were dressed in identical, ragged clothes with long capes, boots, and gloves; the rest of the outfits covered the whole of their bodies. Strips of cloth and wide-brimmed hats also covered their faces. The only differences were that one was dressed in black and gray, the other in gold and yellow; it was also obvious that the golden one was a woman. Hidden by the branches, they watched the children walk off.

"Beautiful." The black-garbed one said, as he watched.

"I never thought I'd watch this." The golden one added. Turning to the black one, she asked, "Are you sure about it? We've got a lot to dump on them."

"We have no choice." He replied. "Raven and Beast Boy will never let them help on their own and neither will the others. I hate to do this too, but we need their help. Even if he succeeds, we need all of the _Teen_ Titans again."

The gold one was silent a moment, then said, "This is a sad way for them to meet us." "I know." He answered. "But if we don't, they won't be around for us to meet at all."


	2. Gathering

Chap. 2

Gathering

Katie and Bart covered the five blocks that separated the school from their house and arrived at eight. Inside, they shoved their stuff into their lockers and made their way to their first class, English. Even though Bart was a few grades behind his older sister, he had shown a true talent for English and therefore he had been pushed up a few levels. Of course, he showed no real talent in anything else. But it annoyed the living hell out of Katie having to spend her first class with her little brother. Worse still, she was not very skilled in English and constantly had to defer to Bart. It was bad enough at home, but in front of her friends at school it was excruciating.

"All right, looks like everyone's here." Mr. Gover said, as he finished taking attendance for the day. Gover was an older man, with thinning gray hair and a beard. He was a decent teacher, so long as you paid attention to the material.

Turning to face the class, he said, "All right, who here was able to read the chapters over the weekend?" At that, about six hands out of twenty-five shot up, Bart's included. Gover shook his head and said, "Guys come on. I know that everyone's busy, but it can't be that hard to read two chapters of _Huck Finn." _

"Why don't you try it then?" Katie muttered under her breath. However Katie didn't mumble quietly enough.

"I'm sorry Ms. Logan, what was that?" asked Gover, focusing all his attention onto his young student.

"N-Nothing." She stammered.

"Well, maybe you can tell me and everyone else why you weren't able to read the chapters."

"I-I forgot." Katie answered.

"A pity Catherine, that you can't seem to be as consistent with your work as your brother." Gover said, as he turned to Bart. "Now Bartholomew, what happened in these chapters?"

"Well, Huck and Jim ran into these guys on the riverbed who claimed to be a duke and an earl from England. They're lying, but I guess they figured that a kid and a runaway slave wouldn't be smart enough to think otherwise."

"Very good Bart." Gover said.

"Well I really like the book. Plus I didn't spend the whole weekend like my sister, shopping for a training b…." Bart slapped his hands over his mouth, knowing that he had just gone too far, but it was too late. The entire class had erupted into laughter, and Katie put her head down on the desk, and covered her ears trying to hide her blush at the same time.

"People please!" Gover yelled, slamming his fist on his desk for emphasis. "I wouldn't laugh, unless you want detention today." That shut everybody up quickly. "Now, can we please get back to the lesson with some dignity? I've got an announcement to make, and frankly, I think you earned it after that outburst."

Moving to the front of his desk, Gover said, "I've decided to assign a group project for the next three weeks." This was followed by groaning from the entire class and even Katie brought her head up. Unnerved, Gover continued. "Now, the assignment will be to construct a diorama of Huck and Jim's journey up the Mississippi. I want every major occurrence on the river labeled, as well as all the real landmarks and your personal opinions on how it enhanced the book. Every group will present their diorama in class in three weeks."

As Gover talked, his body blocked the view of his desk. Which turned out to be a good thing as it saved both teacher and student from a disturbing sight. As Gover's shadow fell over the table, it seemed to stretch forward, reaching for a stack of papers inside his briefcase. Grabbing the top sheet, it reached inside itself and pulled out another sheet. Placing it down, it absorbed the previous sheet and returned to normal.

"Now then, I've worked out the groups and will assign them now." Reaching into his briefcase, Gover took out a stack of papers and held them up. He began to read them over, then halted. "I could've sworn.. ah well, it's only one group's difference." He muttered.

Clearing his throat, he began to read aloud. "Group 1-Harold Zinnerman, Toby Chan, Julie Hart, KiKi Roberts, and Robert Brightman. Group 2- Lisa and Rivers Grayson, Martin Stone, and Katie and Bart Logan."

The list continued on for a few moments more, then Gover said, "OK, you have twenty minutes to meet with your group and begin talking about your project, then we have more reading to do."

The class quickly got up and began to find their groups. Katie however, stayed at her desk, still too embarrassed to even make eye contact with anyone. A few of the kids who walked by made some comments; "I thought elves didn't grow up." "Getting your pots of gold, eh?" Katie shrank into her chair, and probably would've stayed there if she hadn't felt a hand on her shoulder.

Looking up, she saw into a face that made her heart stop. The boy looking at her had a face framed by gorgeous red hair and a pair of large green eyes that Katie could feel herself sinking into. His skin was well tanned, almost orange in its complexion. He wore a pair of beige pants and a purple T-shirt. Smiling, he said, "I think we should meet the others if we want a good grade, right?"

"Huh?" Katie asked, unable to make her tongue work properly with her mouth. "The others in our group. Come on." The boy said gently, as he pulled her up and over to where Bart and two other kids were sitting.

One of the kids was a girl who bore a striking resemblance to the boy, even though her skin was less tan. She had the same basic facial shape and eyes, but her hair was long and black, drawn into a ponytail. She wore jeans and a Misfits T-shirt. The other was an athletic looking black boy, with a square face and long dreads. The strange thing was, the dreads were colored pink in certain areas, giving him several streaks. He was also dressed in jeans, with a jacket over his shirt. Looking up at Katie, he turned to Bart and asked, "This your sister, right?" Bart nodded. Turning back to Katie, he asked "Do you want me to hold him down while you kill him, or can you do it by yourself?"

"Uh, no, I think I'll wait till I get home, and there are less witnesses." At that, Bart said,

"Come on, it was an accident! I didn't mean to Katie, honest."

"Right." The black-haired girl said, looking Bart right in the eye. "From what I've heard, you're the biggest prankster in school. You expect us to think you didn't do this on purpose?"

At that, the boy said, "Hey come on, give him a break. He certainly looked like he was sorry before, didn't he?" "Why can't you be like other older brothers, and just beat people up?" the girl asked.

Turning to face Katie, she said, "My name's Lisa. This is my brother Rivers. Nice to meet you." "You too." Katie replied. "I'm Martin. Pleased as well." The other boy responded.

Leaning back in his chair, he said, "Jesus, I can't believe we gotta do this." "Hey it could be worse." Bart argued. "It could just you doing it." "Maybe we should get to work, so it won't seem bad to any of us." Rivers suggested.

Outside the class, hidden in the bushes, the two figures continued to watch. "They seem to be hitting it off well." Golden commented.

"Yeah, but I think Catherine might like Rob and Star's boy a bit." Black replied. "You think? That'd be weird, seeing their kids starting to see each other."

"Doesn't much matter anyway, if we can't get them to trigger." Black said. "You said it yourself, they have the genes. We just need to wait for the right moment." Golden reassured him.

"That, and that he can bring her out of it." Black said. "He will. You know how long he searched for her." Golden said. "True. I just hope he forgives me for not telling him." Black replied, as he turned back to the window.


	3. Other Sides

Chap. 3

Other Sides

"So we'll meet in the library tonight at six and work on this thing?" Martin asked, as he leaned back in his chair. "It's called a project, and that is the plan." Rivers said. "Man you need to loosen up." Bart said, as he ran his hand through his hair. "Even I don't worry about English this much." "I just want a good grade." Rivers said defensively. "Yeah, but you want a good grade in everything. Otherwise you can't make Mom give you the 'smart little boy' speech." Lisa quipped, poking her brother in the side. "Hey, at least I didn't get thrown off the softball team for beating up an umpire with my catcher's mask!" Rivers shot back.

"They seem interesting." Katie said, as Lisa almost leapt across the table to kick the crap out of Rivers. Thankfully, Bart managed to hold her back. "Well, no more then anyone else in this school." Martin answered. Running his hands across his face to pull back his dreads, he caught Katie looking at them. "What?" he asked, stopping what he was doing. "It's just.. well a weird coloring for your hair." Katie said. At that, Martin looked down at the floor, like he was embarrassed. "What's wrong? I mean you put that color in your hair, you must've thought it was cool." Katie said, unsure of what she had said that offended him.

"It's not coloring." Martin muttered under his breath. "What?" Katie asked. "It's my natural hair, ok?" Martin snapped. "My mom's hair is naturally pink, she never really told me why. But now I've got these streaks in here." Martin looked back at the floor, clearly embarrassed to be talking about it. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it was embarrassing for you." Katie said, trying to apologize. "It's ok. I just used to get teased about it a lot and it's still kind of touchy for me." Martin explained. "I kinda know something about it." Katie said. Leaning in close, she pulled back her hair, giving Martin a full view of her ears. "So that explains the elf-cracks." Martin said, as he looked on. "Yeah." Katie said, letting her hair fall back into place. "I don't know why it's a bad thing." Said a voice from behind them.

Both turned and saw that the others had been listening to their little conversation. Rivers said, "You know, I used to get made fun of because of my skin. I was always this tan color, so people used to ask if one of my real parents was black." "Yeah, and they used to ask if I was really a boy with long hair." Lisa added. "Well considering you almost crippled that kid in football…" Rivers added, but Bart quickly elbowed him. "They used to say I was trying to be Shakespeare, cause I'm in this class already." The young boy added.

"Um, is the point where we all realize how much we're all social misfits and have a big, _Breakfast Club_-type moment?" Martin asked. Before anyone could answer, Gover yelled, "OK time's up, everybody back to your seats!" As the groups began to disperse, Katie turned to Rivers and asked, "Um, you saw my ears then?", in a voice that suggested she was trying to hide how much she cared about it. "Yeah. Frankly, I think you should let 'em out more often. They make you look really cute." Rivers answered, as he walked back to his seat. Katie stood still for a moment, then quickly walked back to her seat and buried her face in her book, before anyone could see how badly she was blushing.

_4:00_

The school day was almost over. The kids would be coming home soon. _I hope that Rivers was able to present that history report as well as he'd hoped. _Kory hoped, as she finished typing up her own report. Kory was a fashion critic for Cosmo and had been one for almost five years. It had taken her a long time after her first career to settle on this new one, that she enjoyed almost as much as that first. Still, there had been hardships. After the kids had been born, Kory had found it difficult to balance work and being a mother. Thankfully, at that point, her work had become one of the focal points of the magazine, which allowed her some pull on what she wanted. She still went to fashion shows to see the new designs, but now she could write up her papers at home and send them in to the magazine that way. Of course, sometimes Kory wished she could stay at home all the time, given some of the god-awful fashions she had been forced to see. _Especially that last one. What kind of Klor-Back Varbler Nelk would think up those dresses? _She thought as she finished her essay and sent it into the magazine.

At that point, the door slammed open and a cry of "Mom, we're home!" echoed through the house. "What have I told you about slamming doors around here?" Kory yelled, as she got up from the table. But as she got up, she accidentally jostled the holo-emitter on her dress's belt, revealing her golden skin as the holo-image faded. Quickly, she flipped the switch and regained her human image, just as her children walked in.

"Sorry Mom, I forgot." Lisa muttered as she walked into the kitchen and got a glass of milk. "I told you so." Rivers said, as he kissed his mother hello. "How was your day?" Kory asked. "Pretty good. I got through my history report with a A." "Very good Rivers! That's my smart little Bung-gorf." Kory said happily. "Uhh. Mom, when are you gonna stop calling us that?" Lisa asked, wiping the milk from her face. "I thought I was only to stop it in public." Kory answered coyly. "And I believe I have. Did you deliver that note to your coach?" "Yeah, but he still wants me to go see somebody about what happened." "I still do not understand how you got so angry." Kory said to her daughter. "I don't know. One minute the guy knocked the ball out of my hand and the next, I'm standing over the ump with my mask." "Well, your father said he was going to talk to you about it, so I'll let him take care of it."

"Is Dad coming home tonight?" Lisa asked. "No, they needed him to stay late and help with some paperwork." Kory replied. "Again? I swear, he's at the office all the time now. He never comes home." Lisa muttered angrily. "You know that's not fair. Your father is a chief executive at WayneCorp. He has to work very hard now. Besides, he always makes time when it counts. He went to every one of your games and ceremonies. Now come on, I need your help with dinner." With that, Lisa and Rivers went to the cupboard and began taking out the plates for the table. "Oh yeah, Lise and I are going to have to go to the library tonight for school, Mom." Rivers said, as he put the plates down on the table. "Oh?" "Yeah, Mr. Gover put us in a group to do an project, and we have to meet with them to starting working on it." "All right, just be home before eight." "Mom, the library closes at seven-thirty, I don't think that'll be a problem." Lisa said, as she began to put out the silverware.

_5:00_

"So who's in this group son?" Victor asked his son, as the family dug into the triple meat spaghetti. "Some kids I've seen around. I don't really know 'em to well." Martin answered, as he ate. "The Grayson and Logan kids. I think I told you about Bart, the boy genius." "Wait, the Graysons?" asked Jes, her purple eyes wide. "Yeah why?" Martina asked. "Those are your Uncle Dick's kids. You played with them when you were a toddler." "The Logans too." Victor commented. "How are they doing now?"

"They seem ok." Martin answered. "But Lisa seems a bit too quick on the trigger." "Sounds just like her father at that age." Jes said. "He always had a quick temper." "Yeah. Rivers and Bart seem ok, but Riv's a bit nerdy. Katie's nice. I like her." "Like her how, son?" Vic joked, poking his son from across the table. "I don't know, I just met her." Martin answered. "But man, she really got embarrassed today. Thank God I don't have a little brother." The discussion went on like that throughout dinner, cleaning the table, and almost to five-fifty.

"Hey Marty, it's getting late, you should be on your way." Vic said, taking a look up at the clock. "Huh? Oh right, bye guys." Martin said, as he grabbed his backpack and ran out the door. When he was far enough from the house, Jes turned to her husband and said, "Who would have figured?" "Yeah Rob and Star's kids were one thing, but Raven and BB's? That's too weird." "It's a good thing that Slade's not around anymore. This would be perfect for him." Jes said, as she washed the dishes. "That's a little grim, isn't it?" Vic asked, as he began to dry. "Well, I did know his mind the best out of all of us." "True Jinxy, very true. But you're not on his side anymore." said Vic teasingly. Sighing good-naturedly, she said, "Don't you have a car to fix?" "Naw, I fixed all the cars in the shop today." "I know." "Wait, what do you mean? What's wrong with my baby?" "Oh, I think I spilled something in the back while I was loading groceries today." Sound could not have moved as fast as Vic then, as he raced for the garage. "Works every time." Jinx said smiling.

_6:10_

"Where are they?" Lisa asked for almost the millionth time, as she sat on the bench outside the library. "Calm down, they're only ten minutes late." Rivers said. "Yeah, but it's ten minutes more we have to spend on this project." "Look, if I get you something to beat the crap out of, will that make you happy?" "Why don't I just settle for you?" Lisa snapped, as she raised a fist to her brother. But then, they heard the sound of footsteps running towards them. The siblings turned to see the figure of Martin running towards them. "Sorry I'm late." He panted. "Dinner ran long." "That's ok. Now if Katie and Bart would show up." Rivers said.

Then as if by magic, there was the sound of people walking down the sidewalk and a young voice yelling, "Hey I can walk you know!" "I'm guessing that's them." Lisa said, as the last two group members walked up. "Come on Bart, we spent enough time at home already because of your video games." Katie snapped, as she hurried her little brother along. "Well, I wouldn't have started playing if you hadn't taken so long picking out what to wear." Bart rebutted. He did have a point there. Katie was dressed far better then she had been at school. She now wore a much longer skirt, which reached down to her sandaled feet. She also wore a much nicer looking shirt that resembled pure silk. There was a light spray of make-up on her face, though she still let her hair hang down. "Have a date we didn't know about?" Lisa asked. "No, I just felt like dressing like this." Katie replied. "I think you look cool." Rivers said. "Thanks." Katie said, smiling. "Uh, can we please get to work on this thing now? Before I die of sugar poisoning?" Martin asked.

"Sure, let's go." Said Lisa getting up from the bench. They started to go into the library, but stopped when they realized that Bart was not with them. The group turned, to find him staring across the bay across the street from the library. "What are you doing?" Martin asked. "Huh? Oh just looking at the Tower." Bart answered. "I like to sometimes." He explained as the others joined him. Even after twenty years, the sight of Titans Tower was still impressive. It stood alone, as though the legacy it contained was too impressive to be left to the city alone. In a way that was true, since no one had been inside it since the Teen Titans and WILDB.R.A.T.S had left it almost twenty years ago. On that day, Cyborg had encoded the Tower with one last security code before he locked it up for good. Only he knew it, and none of the Titans had been seen in years, not since the fall of Slade and the drastic crime reduction that had followed.

"Every wonder what it was like?" Bart asked suddenly. "What what was like?" Rivers asked. "Being in that Tower, being a Titan." "It sounded pretty cool." Lisa admitted. "They kicked a lot of bad guy butt in their day." "Yeah but they suffered a lot too." Katie argued. "Terra, Trigon… it wasn't easy." "But it was cool." Bart argued. "Think of the legacy they left behind." "That Tower does have a lot of history." Rivers agreed. "Oh come on." Martin said. "All that Tower is now is a college dare. I hear all the local universities dare their freshman to try to swim across the bay and get inside. Now come on, we've got a project to do."

They walked on then, ignoring the sight of the Tower. A pity that they had, because something interesting was truly happening on the isle that night, even if they could not properly see it. A figure was making his way to the far eastern side of the island, where it began to divulge into a series of lower crevices and outcroppings. The crevices twisted and turned, but it made no difference to him. He pressed on, mindless of the rocks and sea-spray, as though he was seeking a great treasure. In a way he was, because there was something hidden on that part of the island. It was there that the Titans and B.R.A.T.S had long ago constructed a hidden shrine to someone that they both had cared about.

That shrine now stood in front of the figure. Slowly, he looked up at it. The shrine was a statue of a young girl, her arms outstretched and her hair wild. Below it lay a plaque that read simply, **TERRA. A TEEN TITAN. A TRUE FRIEND.** The figure looked up at it, as though he was unsure that it was real. It was an odd sight to see, especially given this being. For he was dressed in the same ragged clothes that his gold and black companions had worn. The only difference was that his costume was dark brown, the color of the earth around him. But little seemed to matter to him, except the figure in front of him. For he knew the truth of this statue; that it served not only as a memorial, but also as a coffin.

The figure climbed up to the statue and ran his hand over its cheek tenderly, caressing it as though it were flesh. He sighed then and looked up to the heavens, as if for guidance. Then he turned back to the statue and placed his hands upon the face. Placing his head down, he stared at the earth below him. Suddenly, the island began to shake, as though it were in the grips of an earthquake. The figure kept his grip, seeming unable to let go. The earth around him began to glow, as did his hands. As the shaking increased, the glow became brighter. Then, the glow from his hands began to pour into the stone statue.

The sounds of stone cracking could be heard, and then, a gasp for air, filling lungs that had not tasted of it for almost two decade. As the last of the stone fell away and the shaking stopped, the girl inside fell into the figure's arms. As she looked up, her eyes seeing for the first time since her stone hibernation began, she saw into the figure's face, unmasked and unhidden. She also saw the tears fall from his eyes as he wept.


	4. Dangerous Returns

It's beena week, but I'm finally back and now for your patience to be rewarded! I'll be putting up the next chapter tommorrow, but believe me, there's pletny in here to keep you going! Review as much as you want (I'm very shallow).

Chap. 4

Dangerous Returns

The group entered the library and quickly set up at a table. "Ok, so who does what first?" Martin asked as he slung his notebook down. "Well, we need to grab some books about the Mississippi first, so we can figure out the locations on the actual river." Rivers suggested. "I'll do that part. I really don't want to just sit here." Lisa said. "I'll help you. I definitely don't wanna write for an hour and a half." Martin suggested. "I'll mark the important parts of the books. You wanna help, Rivers?" asked Bart. "Sure." The older boy answered. "I guess I'll write it down and match up the locations and occurrences." Katie said. "OK then, let's get to work." said Rivers, as he pulled out his copy of _Huck Finn_.

Lisa and Martin left quickly to find the books. Bart and Rivers turned to the book for information, while Katie took out her notebook and jotted down everything that they managed to agree on. Given their content knowledge and differing attitudes towards the text, it wasn't much at first. "I don't really think that we need to label what happened with Huck's father as an occurrence." Rivers argued. "Dude, that's what set him off on the whole thing. We have to mention it." Bart said. "True, but it doesn't happen on the river. And that's what we need for a good grade" Rivers said as he stretched out his hand to unmark the passage in the book. But as he did, Rivers suddenly hissed in pain and drew back his hand. "What's wrong?" asked Katie, putting down her notebook. "It's my joints." Rivers said, as he tried to move his hands enough to rub them. "Feels like they're on fire."

"Here, let me." Katie said, as she took Rivers' hands in her own and began to massage them. As the boy's face began to drain of it's pained expression, Bart asked, "How long have you had that?" "Actually, only the last month or so." Rivers answered. "I don't really know what it is. It feels like I've got arthritis or something, but it isn't constant. It's just an intense burning that comes and goes." "Hey that kinda sounds like Katie's headaches." Bart said. "What do you mean?" asked Rivers, turning his gaze to the boy's sister. "Well, lately I've been getting these intense headaches." Katie said. "I don't know why but I'm scared to tell my parents. I don't want to hear that I have a brain tumor. I mean, I think I'd have more then a headache and that's the only thing." "Well, I feel the same way about my hands." Rivers said. "By the way, they feel a lot better now. Thanks."

"Oh, uh, no problem." Katie said as Rivers slowly pulled away his hands. "Maybe I could do something for your headaches too." The boy said. "No, that's ok." Katie replied, a bit nervously. "Really, I'd like to help." Rivers said, "Well, I guessI'd be willing totry." Katie replied. But before anything else could happen, Bart said, in that annoying little-brother tone that all of them can do so well, "Do you guys want to be alone?"

After that, Lisa and Martin returned with the books and the group resumed work. Of course, Katie took a spare look at Rivers whenever she could. It was strange to her, that she had become attracted to him so quickly. Rivers was everything that she was not; calm, confident, and handsome. She should know that he was out of her league. But no matter how hard she tried, Katie always felt her eyes being drawn back to his face. She anxiously tried to bury herself in the project, trying to divert her attention away from him. It worked for a while, but like all things, their time in the library came to an end. The librarian eventually came to them and said that the library would be closing in ten minutes, and that they had to pack up and leave. Luckily by this point, they had done most of the 'grunt work' involved in the project, so they felt they had achieved a good night's work.

The group exited the library, taking in the cool night air. "So, I think that went well." Rivers said. "Yeah, the rest of this thing should be cake now." Bart agreed. "All we need is some cardboard and stuff to make the diorama with." "Great. I can't wait to start." Lisa said sarcastically. "Come on Riv, let's go home." She said, and started to walk down the block. But she stopped after a moment when she realized that no one was following her. "Uh guys, what are you doing?" she asked. "You live this way?" Katie asked. "Yeah, over on Maple." "That's only a few blocks away from me and Bart." "And I live on Pine and that's not much further from there." Martin said. "Weird." said Lisa. "Well, I guess our parents won't have to worry about us walking alone. C'mon." They began to walk together down the street, as Martin said, "Actually my dad told me something funny tonight…"

But they had bigger concerns then being alone in the night. All children fear the dark, and tonight, these children were about to understand why. As they walked along, a being hopped along the rooftops, watching them every step of the way. Finally, he gained some ground on them and stopped to watch. As they walked along, a pair of glowing yellow eyes came to rest beside the figure. A deep-seated growl, like that of a tiger and a rabid dog issued from below those eyes. But the figure simply turned and looked. The growl subsided and the eyes slunk downwards. Reaching out his hands, the figure took the eyes back up and whispered something in the darkness. The eyes gleamed again, and then, three more pairs of eyes joined them. The figure turned back to the group then, and resumed jumping the buildings, with the eyes following all the way.

"So we used to play together as kids?" Rivers said in disbelief. "Yeah, apparently our parents all know each other." Martin explained as they walked down the street. "Man, then it's pretty funny we all ended up in the same group." Bart said. "Yeah, almost too funny." Lisa said. "Oh not this again!" Rivers cried in exasperation. "Why is it every time something a little bit odd happens, you think something is wrong? Why are you so paranoid? It's not like somebody is out to get us or something!"

Before Lisa could answer, a howl cut through the night air, chilling the bones of all who heard it. "What was that?" asked Katie. "A coyote?" "It can't be. The closest coyotes are by Nappanee." Rivers said. Suddenly Bart's eyes widened in horror and he screamed, "Over there!" The group turned to see what had made the howl. It was a huge creature, in the shape of a dog, but amplified with terrible strength, perverted until it was all claws and teeth. Four yellow eyes glowed in its head, and its hairless body glistened with muscle. Slowly, it began to advance on them, drool leaking from its mouth.

"Um, nice doggy?" Bart said as they began to back away. "Oh like that ever works!" Martin snapped. "Hey I'm good with animals!" Bart snapped back. "I'm not sure that even is an animal." Rivers replied. "Anyone have a plan?" "Um….. RUNAWAY!" They yelled as the dog-creature finally made a lunge for them. They dodged it and ran down a nearby alley.

"Ohmanohmanohmanohman!" Martin chanted as they continued to run. But then he heard a yelp from behind him. Whipping around, he saw that Katie had slipped on the length of her skirt and had tripped. He also saw the dog only a few feet away. If he ran, he'd get away, but the thing would eat Katie. "I must be crazy." He muttered, as he put all of his athletic ability to use. Martin sped across the alleyway, grabbed Katie's shirt and pulled her back just before the creature snapped its jaws shut. Throwing the girl onto his shoulders, he began to run once again, putting considerable distance between himself and the monster. Of course, fear does have that amazing motivational ability.

He caught up with the others in another part of the alley. "You guys ok?" Lisa asked, as Martin lowered Katie to the ground. "Yeah I think so." He panted out. "What is that thing?" Katie asked. "I don't know, but it seems to want to introduce itself." Lisa said. "We gotta get out of here." "Actually," Bart said suddenly. "That might be a problem." The group turned and saw what he meant. Standing in front of them were three more of the dog creatures, and the breathing behind them said the other was nearby. Slowly, the creatures advanced, tightening their grip on the group. The children drew closer, trembling, expecting to die at any moment. And they might have, had not a voice yelled from above, "HALT!"

The dogs looked up at the sound of the voice, as their master descended down. He was a man dressed in black armor, his face invisible in the shadows. As he came forward a bit, he stretched out his hand to one of the dogs. The creature licked it tenderly. Turning to face the children, the figure said, "You're in a lot of trouble aren't you?" "W-Who are you?" Rivers stammered out. Ignoring the question, the figure continued. "Oh yes, a lot of trouble. Why, you're out here alone, in the city on a night like tonight. I truly pity you. After all, I might have just killed you a bit later. Now I have to send your bloody heads to your parents' doorsteps. Sad. It was going to be such fun the other way." "What do our parents have to do with this?" Lisa demanded. The figure's response was to come out of the shadows fully, revealing his face. He wore a strange mask; its right half of it was black, with no eye opening. The other was bright orange, with one gleaming eye. Even after twenty years, it was a face well known. "Slade!" they all whispered in unison. "I'm glad I'm remembered." The villain replied. "But you're dead!" Katie sputtered out. "Well, that doesn't mean I stay that way. Didn't your parents teach you that?" Seeing the confused looks on their faces, Slade shook his head. "I see that they have not. Well, after my pets devour you, you'll find the answers." Slade began to make a motion with his hands, to signal the dogs to attack.

But then a pair of voices rang out; "Slade, stop!" "Leave the children alone!" The villain paused then, looking behind him. All he saw was a streetlamp shining its glow down onto the night. "Come out where I can see you, my friends." He called out, as though someone could hear him. But someone did. An inky blackness gathered underneath the streetlamp, as the light from it grew brighter. Suddenly both faded away, and two figures, dressed in gold and black, stood there. "They have nothing to do with this Slade." Black said. "Leave them." "Do you take me for a fool?" Slade asked. "I now what they can do. I know what you plan for them. I will not let it happen." "It doesn't matter." Gold answered. "You don't have much time left. Soon you'll leave, and we'll do the rest." "We? There is no 'we' any longer! Your friends are gone! You are the last of your brotherhood." "Wrong." Black replied. "One remains, and he is giving us a powerful weapon to defeat you."

"Then I suppose I'll have to stop you first." Slade answered. Two of the dogs came to him, surrounding him with teeth bared. The two figures stood silent. Then Black reached behind his cape and drew forth a long, elegant sword. Its blade glistened in the dim moonlight, as he held it in a fighting stance. Gold raised her hand to her face and suddenly a blade, as long as the sword of her companion popped out of her gauntlet. This blade glowed purely in the streetlamps' light. She raised it to her face, in a warrior's stance. The two briefly looked at one another, and then Black said three words; "Rock and Roar." And they charged.


	5. The Trigger

Just like I promised, here's the next chapter. This is where it all begins... again (Wrestlemania 20 tagline, but it works here). Enjoy! Keep reviewing!

Chap. 5

The Trigger

The dogs leapt forward, eager to meet their prey. But the cloaked figures sidestepped the huge creatures easily. Two of the dogs righted themselves, but the other two slid forward, ramming into the alley wall. Before they could recover, the figures whipped around and pointed their blades at them. The weapons began to glow, the sword blackish-blue, and the blade gold. Suddenly fire shot forth from both blades, but not normal fire. Black-blue flame and golden flame combined into one force and slammed into the dogs. A mutilated howling could be heard, as the monsters were burned from the ground up. When the flames finally left, there was only a charred spot where the monsters had remained. The figures turned back to Slade and with one outstretched hand, Black beckoned for the villain to face them himself.

Slade's response was for his hands to suddenly burst into flame. Crouching his body, he leapt up into the air and drove both fists down onto the figures. But they raised up their weapons and blocked his attack. For a millisecond, their blades forced Slade up, and then he flipped back onto the ground and began to face them head-on. He swung his flame wide, trying to force his opponents back. It managed to do that, but the second it faded, Gold delivered a roundhouse kick to the villain's side. But Slade caught the leg and kept it pinned to his side, immobilizing his foe. But in trapping one, he had forgotten about the other. Black suddenly vanished into the shadow and then reappeared standing behind Slade. From there he delivered a vicious dropkick to his foe's back. Unprepared for it, Slade was driven forward by the impact, as Gold used his grip on her leg to pull him further along, dropping him into a modified monkey roll. Slade went flying, but he righted himself in mid-air, bounced off the wall, and landed on his feet. Gold flipped to her feet and joined Black as they continued the fight.

The children meanwhile, were watching with utmost interest. "Holy crap, how'd they do that?" Lisa cried in amazement, as the figures grabbed Slade's arms and used them as stepping-stones as they leapt up, trapped his head in their legs, rolled forward, and drove his head down onto the pavement. "How'd he do that?" Rivers asked a moment later, as Slade suddenly created a flame-spear in each hand and shot them at his enemies. "Uh guys," Martin began. "maybe we should be running away now?" "We can't abandon them!" Bart argued. "We can't help them either." Martin shot back. "Maybe if we wait, we can." Katie said keeping her full attention on the fight. She knew eventually, someone had to make a mistake that could lead to his or her downfall. Every fight was built around that moment, and the journey it took to get there. She just hoped that when it came, Slade was the one who met it. But as the group watched the fight, they forgot one important detail. One that became apparent, as the sounds of growling grew louder.

"Looks like my pets are about to take care of this for me." Slade said, as he forced another stalemate between the figures and himself. Both figures looked up and saw that the other dogs were right behind the kids, who were completely focused on the fight. "Kids, look out!" Gold yelled as the dogs began to pounce. The children heard her warning and scattered, but not in time enough. The huge dogs slammed into the ground hard enough to knock Martin, Lisa and Rivers into the wall, where they slowly slumped down, dead to the world. As for Bart and Katie, the dogs caught them underneath their huge paws.

"Catherine! Bart!" Black yelled inanguish as he and Gold raced towards them. But before they could reach the children, a wall of flame shot up from the ground. Blocked off, the figures turned to see Slade standing before them. "I wouldn't try to pas though this." He said calmly. "You know what my flame does to your kind." As he spoke, his body began to lose focus, as though he was slowly being erased. "It'll go down in a minute, but I doubt that's enough time. I'll see you later, when you've lost all chance of stopping me, and my master." With that, his image faded more and more, until it finally disappeared into nothing. Black and Gold looked at each other, then looked at the wall. "This is it." Black said. "If they're going to trigger, they have to do it now, or it's over."

On the other side, Bart and Katie were trying to hold off the huge dogs that held them down, but having little luck with it. Bart was holding open the creature's mouth with his hands, but it was a nasty business. "Dude! This is disgusting!" Bart yelled, as he was covered with drool and a breath that stank of the grave and a hundred other rotted dead things. "Keep trying!" Katie yelled, as she dodged the huge beast's lunges. "Can't…. arms…. Tired." Bart sweated out, as his arms began to tremble under the strain of keeping the creature off him. Inch by inch, the creature gained more and more ground, moving closer to swallowing the boy in one gulp. As it did, the fear began to grow in the boy's soul, filling him with a feeling he had never felt before. This feeling spread all over his body, giving him a strange sort of clarity. Suddenly, Bart's mind was filled with a picture of the small squirrels that he had seen in the park, which seemed to always be able to escape him. There was a flash of smoke, a stench of brimstone, and then the dog's jaws snapped shut.

"NOOO!" Katie yelled, her horror at losing her brother pouring out. But then the dog's jaws opened again, revealing nothing inside them. Both Katie and her attacking dog looked over, unsure of what had happened. Even the creature looked confused, until a small squirrel ran out from under his body and leapt onto the wall. The dog took one look at it and chased after it, biting at it whenever possible. But the small animal was always able to move faster then it's huge predator. "Where'd it come from?" Katie wondered, as she watched the scene unfold before her. But then she heard a snap of jaws above her, and realized that her dog was back on her. Once again, she began to twist and turn, trying to avoid the creature's jaws. "Help! Someone!" she yelled out in a terrified voice.

"Uhh…." Rivers muttered. What had happened? The last thing he remembered was a wall of fire then…. "HELP!" he heard in a girl's voice. That cut through the fog in the boy's mind. He pulled himself to his feet and looking to the side, saw that Martin and his sister were waking up. He also saw Katie being attacked by one of the dogs. "Hang on Katie, we're coming!" he yelled out, as he began to run towards her. As Rivers ran, he could feel the burn begin to come back into his hands. But he ignored it, focusing only on the dog. Reaching the monster, he drew back his hand, thinking only to gain its attention with a punch. But before he could connect, a blast of green energy shot from seemingly nowhere and threw the creature into the wall. Rivers didn't know where it had come from, but he was thankful that Katie was safe. "Are you ok?" he asked. But the girl gave no response, only stared at him. Rivers looked himself, wondering what was wrong. Then he saw his hands. They were glowing with green energy, completely surrounded by it. Rivers flexed his fingers once, twice. They moved fine, unaffiliated by the energy. It was then Rivers noticed that his burning joints no longer hurt. "What is this?" he whispered as he stared at his hands.

But as the children stared, the dog shook itself, and got to its feet. "Rivers look out!" Lisa yelled out, but it was too late. As Rivers turned, the creature pounced on him, pinning him to the ground. "Get off!" Katie screamed at the hateful monster. She pointed her fist at it, as though she could get it off by sheer force of will. It was at that moment, she was struck by a brief, incredibly sharp headache, which broke as quickly as it came. But in that time, another miracle happened. The creature was enveloped in black energy and lifted into the air. The energy began to contract, crushing the creature inside it. Then finally, the creature blew, in a burst of brimstone and flame. The energy vanished, but now Katie's hands were glowing, albeit with black energy. "What's happening to me?" she cried, as her friends stared at her and Rivers.

"Katie just calm down please." Lisa said, trying to keep her friend from doing anything else destructive. But then, a pungent smell filled her nostrils. Lisa's ears twitched and a new force seemed to override her mind. Suddenly, she threw her arms back and with a huge leap flipped up in the air, just as the second dog pounced on where she would have been. Lisa came down hard, driving her body straight into the dog's head. She then flipped off the creature's head and landed on her feet right by her brother. But the dog shrugged it off again, and then saw Martin. The boy cried out in fear and put out his hands in a protective gesture. But then, some kind of glow surrounded his hands, and they became pure steel. Moving with a will of their own, Martin's arms shot out, increasing in size, and slammed the dog back into the wall. Martin opened his eyes then, and saw what he was doing. The dog snarled and bit at his arms, but they were complete steel and impossible to damage. Martin just stared, unable to conceive what was happening. Suddenly, a burst of black and white shot out, incinerating the dog. Martin turned around, as his arms retracted and returned to normal. The last of the flame-wall vanished and the two figures raced into view.

"Thank God you're ok!" Black said, as he raced over, sheathing his sword. Then he got a look at their current states. "They've triggered." He whispered, as Gold came up to him. "Toldja they would." She answered. "Is everyone all right?" she asked. "Oh I don't know. Is being attacked by demon-dogs, dead villains, and having your arms transform on you ok!" Martin snapped, his voice echoing fear and disbelief. "Calm down, Martin. We can help you." Gold said. "How do you know my name?" the boy asked. "We know a lot." Black replied mysteriously. "But there's no time now. Where's Bart?"

"What?" asked Katie, looking around for her brother. But then she felt something pulling at her leg. Looking down, she saw a squirrel frantically trying to grab her attention. Bending down, she saw it look up into her face, with purple eyes she recognized all too well. "I think I found him." she whispered, as the others gathered around her. " Oh my God, what did he do to himself?" Rivers said in disbelief. "Nothing that he can't take away." Gold responded. Kneeling down, she looked the squirrel dead in its eyes. "Bart. Listen to me." she said gently, in a voice that sounded eerily like the boy's own mother. "You can do this. You just have to calm down." She spoke rhythmically, which seemed to gather the creature's full attention. "You have to picture yourself. Your human self. Concentrate on that in your mind, and on nothing else. It's the only way." Gold kept her gaze locked with the squirrel, not allowing his eyes to focus on anything else, keeping her voice low and soothing. The small animal stopped trembling; its' eyes began to close. Suddenly, there was another puff of smoke and when it cleared, Bart Logan stood before them again.

"Bart! You're ok!" Katie said, hugging her brother close. Then realizing what she was doing, she let go. But the boy gave no notice. "I turned into an animal!" he cried, with the same fear in his voice that the others all felt. "What's happening to me? What's happening to us?" The others began to speak then, their voices beginning to jumble together in a web of panic. Finally, Black cut through it; "Calm down, all of you!" he yelled. The kids quickly quieted, as the dark figure began to speak. "I know you're all scared, but what happened tonight has been destined to happen for a long time. Well, maybe not in this exact way, but what's happened to you is natural." "How is this natural!" Rivers yelled, holding up his glowing hands. "It's all like your parents told you." Gold replied. "What are you talking about?" Lisa asked. At that, Gold's eyes widened, but Black's narrowed. "I knew they wouldn't keep their part of the deal." He muttered. "I can't believe this." Gold said, shaking her head. "We had such faith in her." "I believe it's time we had a talk." Black said.

Turning to the kids, he said, "Listen, we've contacted your parents and told them to meet at the Logan's. We're going to meet them there." "Wait, what's this we?" Bart asked. Black shook his head and said, "There are going to be a lot of secrets revealed tonight. Most should have been told to you by your parents, but one is going to be told to you right now." Raising up his hands, Black began to pull away his makeshift mask. Gold did the same, and then the children saw something that they remembered for the rest of their lives. Underneath Black's mask, was a face covered in black fur. The jaw jutted outwards, revealing a pair of pointed teeth on top and bottom. The ears were placed on the top of the head, and were pointed like those of a fox. The eyes were blood red, with a pair of black pupils. Gold's face was shaped into a short muzzle, covered in red fur, with her lower jaw colored in white. Small teeth came out on the sides of her long jaw. Pointed ears stuck out through the mass of red hair on top of her head. Her eyes were yellow, and gleamed in the moonlight. As the children stared, dim memories began to surface in their minds. Memories of old heroes, who had once protected this city. Heroes that were part human, part animal; to be specific, a bat and a fox. It was then, that they realized that they were looking at Nightstalker and Lightweaver, members of the WILDB.R.A.T.S, and the Elemental Knights of Shadow and Light.


	6. Mother, Father Please Explain to Me

Chap. 6

Mother Father Please Explain to Me

"Do you know who we are now?" Nighstalker asked. "You're the…the…" Bart stammered. "Uh-huh." Lightweaver answered. "You were in the…." Lisa said. "Yep." Nightstalker replied. "Wait, what are you guys doing here? You haven't been seen in twenty years." Martin asked, being the first of the group to finally get out more then a four-word sentence.

"Good question." Lightweaver said. "We'll tell you later. Right now, you guys need to go home." "What? Why won't you tell us now?" Rivers asked indignantly as the two Knights turned away. "Keeps the drama fresh." Lightweaver answered. "How do you know our parents?" the boy asked in rebuttal. "Once again, drama." Lightweaver responded anew. "Why do you care what happens to us? Why are we special? Why haven't you involved yourselves before?" Katie asked in rapid-fire succession.

Those questions seemed to strike a nerve. Both Knights halted and their bodies seemed to tense. They were silent for a moment, and then Nightstalker answered, "Let's just say we have a personal involvement in what's happened tonight, and why it's happened." They seemed to regain their composure at that, and then both Knights disappeared in twin columns of gold and black flame. As the kids stood there silently, Nightstalker's voice drifted through the shadows: "The Logans. We'll be watching. But you'd best hurry."

They looked at each other, unsure of what to do. "Should we go? I mean, Katie and I don't have a choice, but you guys do." Bart asked. "If our parents are all there, we're going to have to." Rivers answered. "If they were telling the truth!" Martin snapped. "Hey, they're WILDB.R.A.T.S! Why wouldn't they?" Lisa snapped back. "They've been gone for two decades!" Martin answered angrily. "Besides, if they have some kind of involvement like they say they do, why is that a good thing? What if they've switched sides? What if they're in league with Slade? What if this is some giant trap?" "Jesus, are you retarded or something?" Lisa yelled. "If you haven't noticed, something happened to us. Something that isn't going to go away, and those guys seem to know something about it!" "Maybe because they caused it!" Martin yelled back. "Look, if you wanna be like this fine. I just want to be normal!" "None of us are normal!" Lisa roared back.

"Enough!" Rivers cried out, silencing his sister and his friend. "We shouldn't be acting like this." "He's right." Katie said. "Being angry isn't going to solve anything. This involves all of us, whether we like it or not. If we're going to do something about it, we might as well be democratic. Everyone who wants to go my house, raise your hands." Rivers raised his hand, as did Lisa and Bart. "Everyone who doesn't?" Martin grudgingly brought his hand up. "Well, I want some answers too, so it looks like we're going." Katie said.

After that, they began to make tracks for the Logans. However, in the escape from the dogs they had gone a few blocks off of their route. So by the time they did reach the house, they saw that it was about ten o'clock. But when they did get there, they found the driveway cluttered with two extra cars. "That one's ours." Rivers said, pointing to the silver Mercedes. "And I'm guessing that's yours, Martin." He continued, pointing to the '72 Honda Accord behind it. "Well, looks like they were telling the truth." Lisa smirked, looking right at Martin as she said it. "About one thing. And this could still be a trap." He said back. "Well we're not gonna find out sitting here." Bart said, as he walked up to the front door.

The young boy opened the door to find his parents standing in the foyer with four other people. "Bart!" Garfield yelled out, drawing everyone's attention to the boy. Raven quickly ran to her son, checking to make sure that he was ok. "Where's your sister?" she asked, with a hint of panic in her voice. "Right here Mom." Katie answered as she walked inside with the others. Once every child was inside, a man, who could have only been Rivers and Lisa's father, with his black hair and athletic frame(in sharp contrast to his business suit), sidestepped all the others, and after checking on his children as well as the others, asked in a very authoritative tone, "Rivers why did you call all of us here?" "What are you talking about Dad? I didn't do anything." Rivers replied, a puzzled look on his face. "But you were the one on the phone, telling us to come here." Kory explained. "You said that you had already called everyone else and their parents here, to talk about something really important." "And Katie told us that story, after we found out that Martin had apparently told the Stones himself." Raven said, in a far darker tone then Kory. "What's going on here son?" Victor asked.

But any of the kids could answer, another voice said from the couch, "Well you know what they say about imitation and flattery." Everyone whipped around, as the shape of the Nightstalker emerged from the shadows on the sofa. "You've done well Greenie." He said, as the parents stared at him in shock. "'Stalker? You did this?" Garfield finally managed to sputter out. "Well, it was a lot easier then calling you myself and having to answer your questions one at a time." The bat answered, as he got up and looked over the room. "Wow, Rae actually let you keep your video games. I wasn't sure you kept any of the stuff from the old days." he said, in an extremely bitter tone. "When I met the kids tonight, I got the impression that you'd forgotten everything…. Including our agreement."

At that, Mr. Grayson came to the front. "We haven't forgotten anything. We were just waiting for the right time….." "Don't bother with that crap, _Dick." _The bat sneered. "I told you the time. I told you when they were born. You knew it was going to come this year. You knew it would come soon after their birthdays and last time I checked, that time has passed. You remember the deal. I built the emitters for your retirement and so you could it secret till now, and you would tell them everything when they turned the proper ages. Wasn't that it, _Dick?_" he said as he moved in closer to the parents.

"Dad you knew?" Lisa cried out. "You knew something was going to happen to us?" "How could you not tell us?" Rivers asked, his face a mask of anger at this revelation. Dick saw the state the children were in and said, "We were going to. We were waiting for a sign something was going to happen." "Apparently, you didn't watch well enough." Another voice said from the corner. The Lightweaver materialized out of the light from the lamp and said, "It happened tonight. They've all triggered. All your powers are there, and waiting to be used." "What?" Kory cried out. "But we didn't think it was going to…" "Of course." 'Stalker sneered, as he re-entered the conversation. "You buried your heads in the sand and hoped everything I told you wouldn't come true. I'm disappointed. Now I have to do something I hoped you'd be mature enough to stay my hand at."

The Shadow Knight spoke four words; "Emitters, receive program code- 5227-AWEST.. A beep was echoed thrice from Garfield, Kory, and Victor's belts. Before they could react to it, Nightstalker said "Activate program Backlash. Password: BLACKNIGHT." The beeping hit once more and the bat spoke three words, "Deactivate holo-emitters."

"NO!" Jes yelled, but it was too late. Rings of energy surrounded the three parents and spread up their bodies. When they faded, the parents the children knew were gone. Instead there stood a man colored green, a woman colored gold, and a man with half of his face replaced by machines. Their faces had aged, but there was no longer any way to hide their identities. "Allow me to introduce your parents." 'Stalker said. "Robin, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, Jinx, and Cyborg…. The Teen Titans."

The children stared in shock. Of all the things they could have expected, this was the last one. "Mom?" Rivers breathed, as he looked over the alien woman who had given birth to him. Starfire nodded sadly, and give a tiny smile. The other children made similar observations, looking in awe at the sight of their legendary parents. Raven turned to 'Stalker and asked, "How could you do this?" "I didn't want to." The bat replied, with a sad tone in his voice. "But things are bad now. We can't keep any more secrets. I think you should understand that. And there's still one more left. Katie, Bart, I want you two to come over here."

The two of them left the sight of their father and walked over to where the bat and their mother stood. "Do you remember how I said that we had a personal interest in this?" the bat asked. They nodded and he continued, "That interest is you two. You've come into some hard secrets tonight, but there is one good one to tell. Isn't that right Raven?" he said looking at their mother with a small grin. The woman slowly nodded and said, in a reluctant voice counteracted by the small smile on her face, "You're right…. Dad."


	7. Pieces of the Puzzle

To everybody: I am _really_ sorry that this took so long to upload. I was having trouble with the Document Manager, and it wouldn't take the file. But it's up, and believe me, it is _looooooong_. There'll be plenty to keep you entertained. Before I start though, I want to answer something that TDG3RD said. I realized I hadn't put this fact up and I just want to make it clear. The 'secret' involved in the last chapter is just that Brett and Sara are Raven's parents. They didn't make it public because they didn't want somebody exploitnig it. But you are right about Trigon; he's got a big part that you'll find out about in here and you'll see in the last few chapters. That being said, read, review, and enjoy!

Chap. 7

Pieces of the Puzzle

"Dad!" Katie cried in disbelief. "But that would make you our…" Bart began to say, but the bat cut him off. "Please, don't say it just yet. I want Sara to hear it too, because then we'll both feel old together." "Who's Sara?" Bart asked. "I am." Said the Lightweaver from behind them. Both children turned around as she continued. "But I think you two should call me another name, right _Grandpa_?" she asked, looking directly at the Nightstalker. "OK, they can call me that, but you call me Brett, _Grandma._" He answered back.

At that, the stresses of the entire night came down on Katie, and she yelled out, "ENOUGH!" It drew everyone's attention, but she didn't care. "I have been chased by demon dogs, attacked by a dead villain from twenty years ago, gotten powers I don't understand how to use, found out my parents are Teen Titans, and now that my supposedly 'distant' grandparents are Elemental Knights! How in the hell am I supposed to accept all this?" she cried out. But as her voice cracked on the last word, black energy suddenly surrounded the nearby coffee table and hurled it against the wall, where it shattered into a million pieces. The debris went flying and everyone managed to shield themselves, but that actually brought more trouble. River began to fire star bolts randomly, unable to control himself. Bart poofed into a turtle and dove into his shell. Martin's hands became a huge metal shield, which debris bounced of off. As for Lisa, by the time the debris stopped flying, she had leapt into the air and trapped herself in the wall. But finally, everyone began to calm down, and the rampant powers became dormant again.

Slowly, everyone got back up,the remainsof the tablefalling off their bodies. "Well, we were going to redecorate anyway." Beast Boy said, as he looked around. "Give it a rest." Robin said, the old leader voice coming back easily. "Is everyone ok?" Jinx asked. "I think so." Martin replied, as his hands returned to normal. Cyborg watched the sight in amazement, unable to believe what had happened to his son. One by one, the other Titans saw what their children were capable off, and helped them recover. "See what I mean?" Brett asked, as he helped Starfire pull Lisa out of the wall. "Everything they've done, they've done on reflex. They have no control over this." "Then we'll help them." Raven answered, as she stroked Katie's hair. The young girl was understandably upset over what had happened and seemed almost in shock. "We'll train them, give them what they need." Raven reiterated.

But Brett shook his head. "We don't have time for that." He said. "They have to be trained now. And they need more then control, they need skill." "What are you talking about?" Jinx asked. "You don't mean official training?" "That's just what I mean." The bat answered. "Are you crazy? They are children!" Starfire argued. "Besides, what need is there for them to be trained?" "Every need." Sara answered. "Something has happened. Something that spells the end for all of us if we don't act." "What?" Robin asked, as outside, rain began to fall. "He's come back. Slade has come back. And he wants the children dead."

At that, everyone stopped. The Titans' eyes widened, knowing that if their old foe was back, it meant that he was fully capable of doing what he said. The children were just as terrified, hearing that a powerful, undead villain wanted to destroy them. Seeing their faces, the two Knights realized that they had made a most grievous error in their choice of words. "But we think we know how to stop him." Brett quickly added. "If you'll just let us explain, you'll understand why we have to train the children." "I severely doubt there's anything you could say to convince us of that." Jinx said, folding her arms around her chest. "Oh let him talk. He's told us more then you." Lisa snapped. "Young lady!" Starfire said angrily. "Apologize for that." "Why? Because you don't want us to hear any more of the truth? You lied to us our whole lives, Mom. At least they told us the truth, instead of hiding it."

Despite that defense of the Knights, Lisa found herself alone a moment later when Sara said, "Enough Lisa. We've had enough crap tonight." "You owe them more respect and you damn well know it." Brett added. "You're defending them? How can you do that? You were pissed as hell when we didn't know anything tonight." The girl said in disbelief. "True, but I understand why they did it." Brett answered. "I built their emitters, do you think I had no reason for that?We agreed with them that you shouldn't know everything until you were old enough. We simply disagreed on what that age was. Now all of you, sit down and shut up. We have a lot to go over and less time in which to do it."

Noticing that the bat's tone gave no room for argument, everyone took a seat and gave their full attention to him. With a grunt, Brett cleared his throat and began to speak. "To answer Katie's question about her relationship to us, we are her grandparents because Raven is our adopted daughter. After the incident with Trigon, Raven had no family left, here or in Azarath. Sara and I had considered her a daughter for a long time, and during that mess, we learned she thought of us as parents. We had had and lost a child of our own when Sara was human, and had wished for another for a long time. With Trigon gone, we decided there was no reason it shouldn't be a fact. So we filled out the papers with the city officials. The only ones who knew were those officials, the WILDB.R.A.T.S, and the other Titans. We stayed in the Tower for years, until everybody around us starting to fall in love. Eventually, everyone married and gave up the superhero career. For a long time,they didn't think much about powers or things like that. Then you guys were born."

"Your parents were fearful that you would have the metahuman genes that would lead to powers. They asked me to perform a scan on you, to make sure. I did so, and discovered each of you had a gene. It was too early to tell what kind of powers you'd have, but it was obvious it would be some variation of your parents'. Anyway, I figured that they'd become active around the time you hit puberty. Your parents didn't want you to have to go through the struggles that they did, or put yourselves in the danger they did. So they asked me to find a way to repress the genes. I refused, saying that it wasn't up to us to decide what you would do with your lives. We argued for a long while, but finally came to an agreement. I would build your parents holo-emitters, which would allow them to truly blend in with the public and keep their secrets from you. Their part was that when you turned the right ages, they would tell you everything. And that has pretty much lead us to tonight."

Brett grunted again and rubbed his throat, the long speech having weakened his vocal cords. At that, Sara took up the conversation. "As for tonight, something has been happening in the underworld that has taken two decades to build to this point. And it's been done right under our noses." "How has he come back?" Robin asked, clearly wanting to get the point. "From what we've learned, Trigon apparently knew that he could be defeated. So he imbibed in his most trusted servant a secret power, one that no one in Heaven or Hell knew about." "What is it?" Rivers asked. "We don't know. No one does." The fox answered. "But whatever it is, it's been building in Slade's body for years and now it's powerful enough to allow him to cross the barrier between death and life when it's weak enough." "Then why'd he vanish tonight?" Katie asked. "He's still not strong enough to stay permanently but that's going to be over by the next time." "When is that?" Katie continued. "The next time the barrier is weakest; Midnight on the night of a full moon on the Sabbath day." "Ok, what's the Sabbath day?" Beast Boy asked. "Sunday, dummy." Jinx answered. "But that was two days ago…. Good Lord, he was able to stay that long?" Sara nodded. "And next time, he'll be able to fully cross over. He'll be truly alive again." "When does it happen again?" Starfire asked. "By our counts, three months from last Sunday." "Great. Then let's figure out how stop it." Cyborg said, getting up from the couch.

But Sara held up her hand. "We already know how stop him." "How? You said you didn't know what the power was." Cy countered. "No one knows what the power is, but it's been written about, in one very old book, that was written by the High Priest of Scath, a book that resides in the library of the Tower of Creation. According to that book, the only thing that can stop it….. is the faith and innocence of a child." Suddenly, recognition dawned on each Titan's face. "Are you crazy?" Raven yelled, raising from her seat. "You actually want to send your own grandchildren against that lunatic?" "No we don't, but there's nothing else we can do." Brett answered, the calm in his voice a parallel echo of Raven's anger. "Bull! You have Knights, send them after him!" "We already have!" Brett yelled, getting up from his seat. "We all went down into the underworld, to see if we could stop this on our own. Slade blasted most of us into limbo! The only way to get them out is to destroy him and this passage is all we have to go on." That broke a bit of Raven's steam, but she still shook her head. "I can't believe you expect me to just allow this. I know it's evil Dad, but I can't just let you…." "I don't expect you to." Brett answered gently. "We came here tonight for four things. One, to show the children who they are. Second, to ask your permission to train them."

"You're asking? You've never done that, at least under these kind of circumstances." Raven said in astonishment. "As you said, these our grandchildren and your children." Sara explained. "We don't want to put them in danger, but if we have to, we want it to be with your blessings." "The time we spent with you was the best in our lives." Brett added. "The Titans and BRATS gave us everything we thought we'd never have; good friends, a family outside the Knights, a child, the chance to watch that child grow up and have her own family. We would never do anything to hurt you intentionally. I understood why you kept everything secret from them, and I apologize for revealing it like this. But they needed to know and they need a chance to choose it for themselves. But we won't do anything without your blessing. And frankly, I doubt they will either."

There was silence then, as each of the former Titans thought over what Brett had said. Before that statement, they had been balancing their anger over the revelation with the want to protect their children. But now, after hearing that speech that had meant so much to Brett, they began to wonder what the right choice was. Finally, Robin spoke. "What do you plan to do?" he asked. "That's the third thing." Brett answered. "If we're going to do this, we need the Tower's training facilities, and that means we need that access code. It won't be anything that you haven't been through yourselves. But Sara and I have to do it." "Why?" Robin asked, not angrily, but simply wanting to know why. "We have more then 500 years of experience on you guys. We can make three months of training equivalent to twenty years worth. They'll be as good as you were, maybe better." Robin was silent again, thinking over this new info. Then finally he spoke again. "Will you protect them?" "You have to ask?" Sara replied. The fox looked over at her husband then, and drew her blade. He nodded and drew his own. Holding them in both hands, the Knights knelt on one knee. They crisscrossed their blades in an X, and then motioned for the Titans to come forward. When all their old friends were around them, Sara said, "Put your hands on the blades." The Titans did so, and the Knights began to speak.

"We, Nightstalker and Lightweaver," Brett began

"Knights of Shadow and Light." Sara continued

"Swear on the names of Ralin and Rastler."

"Architects of Light and Shadow,"

"That we will give our bodies, our minds, and our souls,"

"To the protection of these children, mind, body, and soul,"

"If our hearts falter, and we fail because of our fear,"

"May the fires burn for us upon or deaths."

They unlocked the blades then, and stood up. "That is the strongest oath we can make. One on the name of our Architects." Brett said. "If we break it, we are hellbound." "Are you serious?" Beast Boy asked. Both Knights nodded. "Then I guess there's just one thing left to do." The green one said and turned to the children. "Guys, do you want this?" he asked. "It isn't going to be easy. You'll have to work hard and it 's going to be very dangerous." The children were silent, and then Rivers said, "If we don't, who will?" "We need to control this Dad." Katie said. "And I think that they can help us. Besides, if we don't, a lot of people are going to die." Lisa and Bart agreed as well. The only silent one was Martin. "Marty, what do you think?" Cyborg asked. "I think this is crap." The boy answered. "I don't want this. I don't want to be like this, but I guess I don't have a choice. I'm in, but after this, I'm never gonna do it again." "All right." Brett said, accepting the reluctant agreement. "So what happens now?" Martin asked. "Do we go to the Tower?" "Not yet." Brett answered.

"There's one more thing we need to talk about. And frankly, this one is the hardest. It's something I didn't think I would ever say, because it concerns the Knights and the impact they have on the family here." Brett said, running his hands through his hair. He was silent a moment, letting what he had said sink in. Then finally he said, "Sara and I are not the only Elementals to have children." "What?" Raven gasped. "You never told me that." "We didn't think we ever needed to." Sara explained. "Your cousin has been unknown to us for years. We weren't even sure if she was still alive. But we found her and reunited her with her father. We think we have, anyway." "What do you mean you think you have? And what's this 'cousin' stuff?" Martin asked. "This child's father is our brother Knight. The Knights are siblings in every sense but blood, and only because we're different animals. That's what we mean." Brett explained.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Right on time." Sara said, and moved to open it. Standing outside, in the fresh rainfall, was another Knight. He was dressed exactly like his comrades, except in the color of his tunic; dark brown. A gray stone hammer, with a brown gemstone attached to the end of its handle was strapped to his belt. He walked into the house, and shook, cleansing himself of the rain. He pulled off his hat and mask and flung them to the floor. Turning his face to the group, he showed himself to be a dog, his face that of a Labrador. "Did it work, Eddie?" Brett asked, with a hint of caution in his voice. The dog nodded in response. "It's done." He said, his gravely voice flecked with the traces of a New York accent. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner." Sara said. "It's ok. You had to be sure." Eddie responded. "After all the time I spent searching for her, I at least wanted that from you."

"Um, excuse me." Bart said, stepping forward. "But can someone explain to me what's going on?" The three Knights looked at each other, and then Eddie began to speak. "My name is Groundquake. I am the Elemental Knight of Earth. And if you haven't figured it out, I am the other parent in the Knights." "How did it happen?" Raven asked, curious about this uncle and the child he might have. "It happened about thirty five years ago, when the Knights were on assignment in Nevada. I met a woman there, in Las Vegas. I don't know how it happened; we must have gotten drunk. But the next morning, I woke up in a bed in a hotel room, with her next to me." "And you're a Knight?" Jinx asked. "We're not perfect. And I don't think you have any right to question me." Eddie shot back. "Anyway, when she woke up, she saw through my magic, easy to do since I had one hell of a hangover, and saw what I really was. I think you can guess the rest. I tried to find her again, but it was useless. She was terrified of me and actually ran off to Arizona just to escape me. After some time, I realized it wasn't worth it any more and I left her alone. I tried to keep my mind off it for a year, but then Chiron, my Architect, demanded I come before him. I figured he wanted to chew me out over it, but instead, he told me I was a father. The woman had become pregnant after that night, and given birth that day in Arizona."

"Did you go after her?" Lisa asked. "I couldn't. I was scared, that I would make her hide again. I ended up staying away, but I sent money and the like whenever I could. But then, after sixteen years, Chiron called me again. He said that the child was exhibiting….. powers. Her mother had passed on and she had been living with her grandparents. But now she was scared and with power she couldn't control. She'd run away and was traveling all over the country. All the Knights swore that they would help me find her. But we never could. We always found the place she had just been. She may have been powerful, but she knew how to keep concealed to a point. We kept searching, but none of us could ever find her in time. Until now."

"What do you mean?" Starfire asked. "When this whole mess started, Brett and Sara said that they would go get the troops here, but then Brett told me there might be something I could do. He said that there was something on your island that might help me unlock both puzzles." "Did you?" Raven asked. The dog nodded, and began to move towards the door. But Brett placed his hand on the dog's shoulder, halting him. Turning back to the others, he said, "Guys, this is going to be hard on everyone, but Raven, Beast Boy? This will be hardest on you two. I suspected this for a long time, but I was never sure. Eddie had had false hopes before; I didn't want to disappoint him again. But we needed all the help we could get and this was worth a try." "What are you talking about?" Robin asked. "Eddie was wrong. I did find his child. We all did."

Suddenly, realization broke on every Titan's face. "You can't mean…." Raven gasped. "I do." Brett said, as Eddie opened the door. A figure stood in the rain; slim, long hair running down its face. As it stepped into the light, the tattered armor Slade had given her became visible. Slowly, the light shone on her downcast face, until Terra, the sixth Titan, stood in front of them once again.


	8. Bitter Reunion

Chap. 8

Bitter Reunion

Silence invaded the room, stealing away all the sound. No one spoke. Not the former Titans, too shocked by this final revelation to say anything. Not the children, who knew enough of Terra to be awed at her return. Not even the Knights, the immortals who had seen this scene countless times before, yet never knew what to say whenever it came up. But silence only rules for so long, and finally it was overthrown. "It's all true." Terra whispered, as she looked at the aged faces of her friends. Slowly, the girl advanced, as if to verify what her eyes were seeing. The Titans stood silent, unable to move. But then, Beast Boy came forward. He and the girl he had loved a lifetime ago met in the center of the room. They looked at each other, emotions old and new surging through their bodies. They remembered the joy and the happiness they had once shared together. But they also remembered the lies, and the pain that they had each caused the other. Slowly, Beast Boy reached up and ran his hand through the girl's hair. It brushed across his fingers with the same softness he remembered from so long ago. "It is really is you." He said.

Terra nodded, and ran her hand across the green one's face. It was covered with the marks and wrinkles of age, but it was the same one she remembered. "You've changed." She said with a tiny smile. Beast Boy nodded, and said with an equal smile, "You haven't." It was then he looked up at the Knights, as if he wanted to ask a question. But Brett knew the question that was already in his son-in-law's mind. "The stone kept her in hibernation. Her body hasn't aged a single day since she was…. Lost. But her mind's been asleep the whole time." "When she woke up, she only remembered that final battle with Slade." Eddie continued. "I suppose that was a bit of a mercy. Chiron always did have a soft spot." "What does he have to do with this?" Beast Boy asked. "Everything." Sara answered. "We finally figured out why Terra went into that state. It was a punishment from the Architects. Because Terra is part of the bloodline, she falls under their jurisdiction. After that whole…. Judas incident, they were prepared to punish her, as they would have one of us. But Terra redeemed herself at the end, so they decided to lock her away instead of destroying her."

"How did you find all that out?" Terra asked, as she turned back to face her 'family.' "Because Chiron told me." Eddie answered. "After I woke you up, you were too delirious to focus. I took you inside the Tower's old solar power shaft, and did what I could to help, while your body readjusted itself. Eventually, I was able to make contact with him, and he verified whom you were. He hadn't been able to find you before, but he was able to sense his power inside you. He'd already told me about the punishment, and that my touch had been the only way to end it. That's how I knew what to do when I found you." Terra listened, but she seemed loath to accept everything. Eddie saw this, and he moved up to the young girl and put his arms on her shoulders. "I was always looking, Terra. I wish I had found you sooner. I wish you could have grown up with your friends. From what Brett and Sara have told me, there would have been no better company for you." Terra remained silent, but she raised her head to look up into the dog's face. "But I didn't. I couldn't find you until now, when so much is lost to you. I know this is hard for you to deal with, Terra. It would be impossible for anyone else to deal with. But you aren't anyone. You are a girl with a legacy that you never knew about. You've seen the darkness in yourself, and you may have succumbed to it, but it never took you completely. And it never will again, because you're not alone anymore. You have a family. And you have a father that will spend the rest of his life making up for the time he missed in yours."

Terra remained silent, though the effects of Eddie's words were evident on her face. Slowly, she began to speak, choosing her words carefully. "I-I know what your saying is true. And I know you mean it." The young girl began. "But I don't know if I want to be in this family yet." Eddie's face saddened, and she quickly continued. "It isn't you. But this is all a lot to take in right now. It's hard enough knowing I've missed the last twenty years, but all this family stuff…. I just don't know. I've only been part of a family once, and I didn't really deserve it." She said, turning back to the Titans. "I wish I had been. But I can't take back what I did, and I don't know if I deserve to be involved in any of this."

She stopped then, and stood silent before the Titans. All of them had things they wanted to say, things that they needed to say, but it was Raven, out of all of them, that came forward. She stood right in front of Terra and said two words; "You're right." Terra looked up, expecting Raven to berate her, like it had always been between them. But instead the empath said, "You did do horrible things Terra. But it was a long time ago. You've paid for it, and frankly, we don't hate you for it anymore." "You don't?" Terra asked. "Twenty years is a long time. We've thought and talked about it. You were alone; with powers you didn't know how to control. You weren't ready to be one of us, and frankly any of us would've probably gone with Slade in your case. I guess we all forgot how scary it is when your powers are new, and you don't know what to do. We should've understood that. Especially me. I was even worse. At least you could admit what your problem was. I hid mine and it nearly destroyed us. But I learned something from it. You can't deal with it on your own. You deserve a chance to redeem yourself for the past, and maybe you can find it with those guys. And even if you don't, it's a lot better then trying on your own." Terra stared at the woman that she had once hated so badly, and asked, "When did you stop with the depression?" "If you live with him, it has to go away eventually." Raven answered, pointing at Beast Boy. Terra smiled a bit at that and said; "I guess I can't blame him for picking you, cousin." "Thanks for letting me keep him… cousin."

"All right. I think that's enough for one night." Brett said, as Terra moved to stand by them. "We'll continue this tomorrow night. For now, I think we should get some sleep." "Are you kidding?" Bart yelled. "You expect me to sleep after all this?" "Yes. Because unless I'm mistaken, you guys still have school tomorrow." Brett answered. "I'm not dragging your entire life into this." "Mom, do we have to?" Bart asked Raven, a pleading look on his face. "Sorry son, your grandfather's right." Raven answered with a smile. "Besides, it's already one in the morning." "Jeez, it's that late?" Sara said, looking at the clock. Turning to Robin she asked, "You want us to send you guys home, or can you take it on your own?"

"We'll do it. We only live a few block away." Robin answered. "And we're only a block away from them." Jinx added. "But where are you guys going to be?" "We'll be by the Tower, inside the shaft." Brett said. "We'll meet you there tomorrow night, when we reopen the Tower." "See you then." Sara said, as she suddenly glowed with light and vanished. The shadows began to cover Brett and he disappeared as well. Eddie placed his hand on Terra, and the two of them literally crumbled away, slipping into the earth under the floorboards.


	9. ReOpening

Thanks again to those who reviewed the last chap. I'm glad to hear you like the Terra-Rae exchange; I was afraid people would think it was corny. Here's the new chapter, where we get to see the Tower opened once again.

Chap. 9

Re-Opening

Somehow, the Titans managed to get their kids home after that, and force them to get into bed. Of course, after the excitement of the evening, none of them really slept. They stayed up, thinking about everything that had changed in their lives. Some saw it as the beginning of a great adventure. Some wondered if they would be up to the task. Others still wondered what would happen when it was all over. But despite all that turmoil, they all managed to fall asleep… about two hours before they had to get up for school and work. From then on, the day dragged on, with all the daily tasks and work of the outside world seeming unimportant and boring in the wake of what was going to happen that night. And despite the apparent crawling of the clock hands, that time finally came, as they made their way onto the island in the twilight of the afternoon.

"So where are they?" Lisa asked, as she looked around the isle. "Brett will be here. Give him a minute." Robin answered, as he looked over at the Tower. The huge building had aged well in the last few years. It looked as clean and pristine as it had when the Titans had lived there before. Of course, that was due to the restoration efforts of the city, who sent cleaning crews over twice a month to keep the place looking good. Still Robin wondered what the inside was like. No one had been inside it since they had locked it all those years ago, and he had no idea what kind of shape the equipment was going to be in once they got in there. Robin sighed then, thinking of all the memories he had locked inside that building. He wondered briefly if the children would have the same kind he did, or if they would even get the chance.

Suddenly, the voice of Brett was heard from a distance, breaking Robin out of his interlude. Turning, he saw the figures of the Elementals and Terra walking towards them. As he walked forward to greet them, he saw that Terra had changed out of the Slade-armor and back into her old Titans uniform. He took it as a good sign. "So are we ready to do this?" Brett asked, as they joined with the others. Cyborg nodded, as he walked over to the front doors. Moving to the side, he opened up an old control panel. Opening up his finger into a key like device, he stuck it inside a slot by the left side of the panel. Slowly, the panel's screen came alive, as it flashed and beeped back into working order. As they watched, a message began to form on the screen. **ANAYLZING… UNIT CYBORG RECOGNIZED. ENTER PASSCODE.** "Silkie." Cyborg replied aloud. **PASSCODE ACCEPTED. OPENING TITANS TOWER.** With that, the huge doors began to shuttle open, creaking as they did so. "Silkie?" Brett said in amazement, as Cy disengaged from the panel. "That was it?" "Yeah why?" Cyborg asked. "Well, I guess no one would've thought of it. I just expected something different." The bat replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Who was Silkie anyway?" Bart asked, as they began to enter the Tower. "He was my pet." Starfire answered. "Oh, he was such a good mutant larvae. I wish he was still here." Bart turned back to his father, who simply nodded in response. "Whatever happened to him anyway?" Bart asked. "He starting mutating one day and we had to put him down." Raven answered. "As I recall, he was delicious." Brett added. Bart's eyes shot over to his grandfather, who simply replied, "Hey, it was either that or drinking blood. My species does one or the other. Be thankful."

Slowly, the group made their way through the Tower. While Cyborg had opened up the doors, the systems had not been activated; a safety precaution, in case the wrong person had ever gotten inside the Tower. Cy could activate it manually, but first they needed to get to the power core, located in the center of the Tower. Until they did, the only illumination was the dying light of the sun. "I can get to the power core on my own. Why don't you guys show the kids around the Tower?" Cy suggested. "Not a bad idea." Jinx agreed. "We'll split up and show them different areas of the Tower. I can show Marty the main room" "Lisa, would you like to come as well." Star asked. "Sure, why not?" Lisa replied, as she joined her mother, Jinx, and Martin as they headed for the main room. "Didn't I hear about some kind of game room here?" Bart asked. "Yep. Let's go see if that stuff still works." Beast Boy answered, a smile on his face, as he began to direct his son towards the one room in the Tower he had helped design.

"I knew he'd go back there." Raven said, rolling her eyes at the ceiling. Turning back to her daughter, she asked, "Anywhere you'd like to go?" Katie thought for a minute, and then answered, "I always wanted to see the city from the rooftop. It must be a great view." "Good choice. I always liked it up there myself." Raven answered. The two of them headed for the stairs, only to hear Robin's voice stop them a moment later. Turning around, they saw Rivers and his father heading in their direction. "I'd like to go back up there myself." Robin said. "I've forgotten how the city looks from up high." The four of them began to go up, but then Rivers turned back to the Elementals and asked, "You guys wanna come?" "Naw, we've got a few things to see ourselves." Brett replied. Satisfied, the Titans and their offspring headed up the stairs to the roof.

Meanwhile Cyborg headed down to the basement, searching for the Tower's core. Of course he hadn't been in the Tower in a few years, so he had forgotten a couple of things on the way. "All right, now just make this left and… OWWW!" Cy cried out, as he walked headfirst into a pipe twisting down from the ceiling. The impact threw him on his back, and his lay on the floor rubbing his head, he muttered aloud, "Why didn't I take that thing down before?" Then he looked up and realized that it was leading right into the power core room. "Oh right. That's how I got here." He said, as he got back up and began to walk into the power core room. Walking inside, he saw the huge cylindrical device that powered the whole Tower. All its hookups were still in place, so Cyborg expected little more then flipping a few switches. "Good thing I build to last." He said as he walked over to the control panel and flipped the on switch. For a second, there was the sound of turbines whirring, as electricity flowed through the wire. But it was only a second, as the machine shut down just as swiftly. "Huh? What in the…." Cy cried out, as he continually pushed the button, with no results. "Great." He muttered, as he moved to complicate this simple job.

Meanwhile, the Elementals stood in front of a door in the Tower's east wing. A name was engraved on it, just like there were on each of the rooms in the Tower. Terra ran her hand over the engraving of her name, and then with a deep breath opened the door. It slid open easily, since it operated on a small amount of reserve power. The group walked inside the room, looking around at all the surroundings. "We didn't change a thing." Brett said, as Terra looked around in a sad wonder. It was then she noticed an object on the bed, one that she recognized with a gasp. Slowly, she walked over to it and picked it up. Holding it in her hands, she looked at with a wistful expression on her face. Brett and Sara stood silent, knowing what that object meant for the girl. But Eddie did not.

"What's that?" the dog asked, as he moved to stand behind his daughter. "Beast Boy made it for me." Terra answered quietly, as she held the heart-shaped box in her hand. "Looks like he spent a lot of time on it." Eddie commented. "I knew he was making something. He took all the glue and scissors from the Tower for two days." "He must've really cared about you to spend all that effort on it." Eddie said. Terra stared to say something, but then her tears broke, and she began to weep. The box slipped from her hands, and would've shattered on the floor, but Eddie caught before it could hit. Standing back up, he tried to comfort Terra, but she moved away from him and sat down on the bed, weeping into her hands. Eddie stood there silently, wanting to help, but not knowing how. Finally, Sara moved over to the bed and tried to calm the girl, while Brett pulled his brother to the side.

"What did I say?" the dog asked in confusion. "I thought she was ok with Beast Boy." "She was, but the night he gave that box to her was the night she betrayed us." "Aw crap." Eddie muttered, as he pulled his hand down his face. "It's alright; you didn't know." The bat said. Eddie sighed and said, "That's the problem. I don't know anything about this. I don't know how to do this." Looking up at the bat, he said, "Maybe I shouldn't be doing this. Maybe I'm not cut out to be her father." "Eddie, she needs you." Brett said. "Then why do I feel like she doesn't? She's been pulling from me ever since she regained her mind. All I seem to do is hurt her." Brett began to answer, but suddenly the lights above them flickered into working order. "Looks like Cy got the power back." Brett commented. Turning back to his friend, he said, "Eddie, she has a lot to deal with right now. She's missed the last twenty years, all her friends including the one she could've loved have moved on, and now she knows she's not completely human. You say you don't how to be a father; I don't think she knows how to have one and right now it's just too hard for her to learn. Give her time. Raven didn't accept Sara and I at first either, and frankly it took us time to accept her. Let it be, and she'll accept you eventually."

The dog was silent a moment, then sighed and said, "I guess you're right. I just wish that she…" "I know." The bat said, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder. "She will." Turning back to the bed, Brett asked, "You guys ok?" "I think so." Terra answered, as she wiped away the last of her tears. She rose up off the bed, and Eddie said, "Sorry, I didn't know about…" "It's ok." She said. "You didn't mean to do anything. I guess I should starting facing all this stuff now anyway." She would've said more, but then there was a frantic knock on the door. Looking at the others curiously, Eddie out the box down on the dresser and opened the door. Outside was a panic-stricken Lisa and Starfire. "You've got to come, hurry!" Lisa cried as she grabbed Eddie's arm and tried to pull him out of the room. The dog however, would not be moved so easily, and pulled his hand back. "Hold up, what's going on here?" he asked. Star answered, in a voice just as panicked as her daughters'. "There has been an accident. Martin was injured by on of the security devices." "Shit! How bad?" Eddie asked, as the others came up to join him. "Bad enough that we need you to heal him." Star replied. "Lead the way!" Brett yelled, as they sped out of the room and towards the hallway.

The group sped through the hallways of the Tower, following Star and Lisa all the way to the main room. There, they found the others all crowded over the form of Martin lying on the floor. The boy was clutching his upper leg, as a short but sharp spike was sticking through almost all the way. Sara hissed at the sight of it. Brett knelt down and quickly looked over the injury. "Your oldspear trap?" he asked Cy. Cyborg nodded, too worried about his son to speak about it. "He must've been in the wrong spot or he'd be dead." Brett said, as he slit the side of Martin's pants to get a better look at the wound. After a moment, he pronounced his opinion. "It's not bad. The spike went through the meat of the leg and missed the bone and muscle. Once we get it out, it should be easy to heal."

Slowly, the bat wrapped his hands around the end of the spike. "Wait, maybe you can.." Martin began, but the bat cut him off. "Rob, stick your belt in his mouth. Martin, when I pull this out, bite down hard." Robin did what he was told and quickly put the belt in Martin's mouth. "Ready?" the bat asked the young boy. Martin nodded, prepared for the pain. Brett regained his hold and as quickly as he could, pulled the spike out. Martin screamed against the pain, but kept his mouth clenched against the belt. "Good job." Brett said, as he tossed the spike to the side. Moving his hands over to the now bleeding wound, the bat prepared to gather his energy to heal the wound. But then he noticed Katie watching him. The bat's eyes glinted with illumination, as an idea flashed across his mind. "Um, before I bleed to death please?" Martin asked through gritted teeth. "I'm not going to heal you." The bat replied simply. "What!" Jinx and Martin yelled in unison. Unfazed, the bat pointed at Katie and said, "She is."


	10. Training Begins

Before I put this up, I just want to say one thing, inan utterly dignifed manner...

**_TWENTY PLUS REVIEWS! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU AGAIN!_**

OK, now that that's out of the way, I would like to just talk abot the thing with Silkie. I know it creeped a few people out, but it was something I'd envisioned since they brought him in. And as Brett says, he is a bat, and bats eat bugs. And if said bat runs across a large insect, what would he do with it? Besides, I couldn't believe that Silkie would get left in the tower, or that he'd be turned into the family dog or something. So I just decided this was the easiest way to get him gone. That being said, enjoy the new chapter.

Chap. 10

Training Begins

"Huh?" Katie said, completely taken back. "Brett, what are you talking about?" Sara asked. "Everything I've seen from her leads me to believe that Katie has all of Raven's powers. That includes her ability to heal." "But I don't know how, I mean, how do I.." Katie stammered. "That's what you're here for." Brett said, a slightly cold tone coming into his voice. "You guys came for training? Well training starts now. Katie, heal him." But Katie and the others remained still, unable to understand what was being asked. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Brett said, "Look, this isn't a life threatening wound. He's not going to die from it. And if I'm going to train these kids, I need an idea of what level of control they have right now. We had an accident, but that doesn't mean that we can't try to use it to our advantage. And if Katie can't heal him, I will. But that doesn't mean she isn't going to try."

That explanation didn't really win over the adults that well, but hearing of a back up seemed to calm Katie. She moved over to Martin and put her hands over the wound like she had seen Brett do. "Good." The bat said, and motioned for Raven to move over. "Guide her through it. Tell her what you used to do to heal." He explained as Raven sat by her daughter. Nodding, the empath turned to Katie and began to instruct; "Focus all your energy on the wound. Focus on nothing else. Imagine it closing in your mind." Katie nodded, and closed her eyes in concentration. Slowly, the black energy began to cover her hands once again. As her face tightened in concentration, the energy began to move off her hands and cover the wound. As the others watched, the energy flowed into it, and the skin began to close.

"Good Katie, good." Brett said quietly, as he moved closer to watch. The wound continued to close, but Katie's face grew more and more strained as she worked. Sweat started to pour down, but she continued to heal. "Dad, she's getting tired. Maybe you should take over." Raven suggested, seeing how much strain this was taking on her daughter. But Brett shook his head. "She goes until she can't take anymore." He said briskly. But that point was almost at hand. Katie was clenching her teeth trying to hold on, but the strain was too new and intense for her to ride anymore. With a small cry, she broke off and fell back into her mother's arms. Beast Boy moved forward then, as everyone's eyes turned to his daughter. The green one pushed through Katie's sweat-soaked hair and looked at her face. Exhaustion was evident throughout and her eyes seemed to have sunken in, but she was still awake, though out of breath. "Are you ok?" he asked with concern in his voice. "I-I think so." Katie said, as she shakily got up. "I didn't know it would take so much outta me." Raven opened her mouth to speak, but it was Brett who spoke first.

"Well, it may not have done the job, but that was still good for your first try." "You could be a little more sympathetic." Sara said, with sharpness in her voice. "I chose to be truthful." Brett said, as he reached out to the half-healed wound and finished the job. The shadowfire stretched outwards and covered the rest of the wound, healing it within seconds. Martin shivered as the dark flame did its job. "Feel all right?" the bat asked, as he helped Martin to his feet. "Yeah, but why is that thing cold?" Martin asked. "Well, it's technically an evil flame, it's supposed to be cold." Brett answered. "Now then, let's get down to the training room and get started." However, given the fact that Katie was exhausted and Martin had just had a long spike through his leg, the others were less then eager to have their children begin training. "Brett look, I know we said we'd start today." Jinx began. "And we're still going to." The bat said. "Martin's fine, and Katie's going to have to deal with a lot worse then exhaustion in the battle ahead. I don't have time to baby them or you. Now let's get going." With that, Brett turned for the door and left the room. The others remained for a moment, until his voice rang back; "Come on, before the end of the world please."

Despite their anger at Brett's coldness, the others followed him down to the training room. Once there, the bat called the other Elementals and Terra to his side, and had the Titans exit the room, to watch from the control room located in the upper wall of the room. Then, with the children standing side by side, Brett took the point and began to pace silently in front of them, like an army sergeant instructing his troops. They watched him, unsure of what to expect. Finally, he stopped and whirled around to face them. Speaking gruffly he said, "It's time you kids understood how this is going to work. As long as you are in this Tower, and under our tutelage, you are going to do a lot of hard and strenuous work. Your parents are not going to be around to help you." "Um, aren't they right up…" "Did I say you could talk!" Brett snapped back at Bart.

"Until you are ready, we will be your parents. We will be your mother, father, aunt, uncle, first cousins, second cousins, third cousins, and any other title you can think of. In fact, it will be easier if you simply think of us, alone and collectively, as your God. And over the course of your training, your God will ask you to sacrifice everything you have to give for them. You will grow to fear your God, perhaps even to hate them. That is fine. However, your God promises that we will be fair towards you, so long as you manage to follow your training." Brett paused for breath, then continued in a less gruff voice. "Now then, at the end of your training, when it's goal is in sight, your God shall select that member who has proven him or herself to be best suited for the job, to be leader of the team. But until then, your God will be in command of all matters concerning the team."

"Laying it on a little thick, aren't you?" Rivers muttered under his breath. However, he did not mutter quietly enough. "Do you have a problem with your God?" Brett asked, as he came forward and looked the boy in the eye. "All right Rivers, step forward. We need to gauge your abilities and you have just volunteered yourself as the first test subject." Rivers did come up, albeit a bit nervously. "All right then. Terra, release the targets." The young girl nodded, and walked over to a panel on the wall. She pressed a small button, and a small barrel-shaped droid with a bull's eye pattern on its chest dropped from the ceiling. It hovered in the air, right in front of the group. "OK Rivers, this is one of the old targeting droids your Mom used back in the day. I want you to shoot it down, but to do so, you have to hit right in the center of the target." Brett explained.

"All right." the boy said, thinking it a simple task. Raising up his hands, he began to concentrate, trying to draw up the power the same way that he had the night before. His hand began to glow, the energy coming easily. Pointing his hand at the droid, Rivers released it, hitting the droid dead center. It exploded almost instantly. Turning back to the bat, he asked, "Are you gonna ask me to do something hard now?" "Actually, I am." The bat answered. "Now you have to take them down." He said, pointing upwards. Rivers looked up and saw that two more droids had fallen from the ceiling. "There is one difference though." Brett said. "What, that they actually move?" Rivers asked. "Well yes, but there is one other thing." Suddenly, two panels on the sides of both droids fell away, and small but deadly looking guns popped out. "They shoot back." The bat finished, as River's eyes widened in surprise.

With that, the two droids began to attack, blasting energy straight at the boy. To his credit, Rivers did not panic, but rolled forward, out of their range. He quickly got back to his feet and fired off another pair of starbolts. They scored direct hits on the droid's back, but when the smoke cleared, no damage had been done. "They're only vulnerable on that target!" Terra yelled over, as the others watched with anticipation. Rivers continued to press his attack, firing starbolts in an effort to at least push the droids back, if not destroy them. But as he had predicted, these droids did indeed move. They moved through the air with unbelievable speed, avoiding each of the starbolts that Rivers threw and firing their own weapons right back. Rivers finally gave up attacking and began to run, avoiding the attacks as best he could. "Come on Riv, you can do it!" Lisa yelled, trying to give some confidence to her brother. "Blow those things to hell!" Bart echoed back. "You gonna say something?" Martin asked Katie, who was intently watching the fight. "Huh? Oh, uh, go Rivers?" "Brilliant."

The robots continued to press their attack, not giving Rivers a moment's respite. The young boy reached the other end of the room, and began to climb up the pipes that run up the wall. But even that respite was denied him, as the robots destroyed it within instants. As the pipe began to fall the other way, Rivers almost did the only thing anyone could do in that sort of situation. He leapt off the pipe, but he aimed himself at the droids, starbolts ready in each hand. But the droids moved together, effectively blocking River's chance at a good shot. Undaunted, he grabbed onto the droids and launched himself further. But as he moved past the droids, a strange thing began to happen. River's flight through the air began to slow, as though he was moving through water. More and more it slowed, until the boy finally came to halt. But he did not fall; instead he hovered in the air. The droids turned to face him, giving him a clear view of their targets. Caught up in the excitement of the battle, Rivers simply prepared to turn his starbolts on the droids. But then he made a critical error; he looked down.

Seeing how high up he was, as well as the fact he was not falling caused him to lose focus, and the starbolts vanished from his hands. The droids took this as their chance and fired on him. The hits took Rivers directly and he flew back from the impact. He would have hit the wall, if Eddie had not turned his arm into earth, stretched it forth and expanded it, catching the boy in a pile of soft dirt. Slowly he lowered him down, as Terra deactivated the droids, returning them to their sockets in the ceiling. "You ok, man?" Bart asked, as Rivers slowly came to. "I think so." The boy said, as he got up. "Good thing those droids are set for stun." Terra said. While Eddie's arm returned to normal, the others clamored around Rivers both to make sure he was ok and to speak of his endeavors. "How did you do that, Riv?" Martin asked, as Rivers came to his feet. "I didn't even know you could fly." "Neither did I." Rivers replied. "I figured that would happen sooner or later." Sara said. "Star always said that flying was pretty easy for Tammerians." "But then why didn't it happen in the alley that night?" Rivers asked. "Probably because you weren't trying to fly then." Brett explained. "You just wanted to save Katie, so the starbolts came up instead of flight. Part of why I had you do this exercise was to see if we could turn it on." "Yeah, too bad it didn't work all the way." Lisa said from the back. "Actually, Rivers did quite well. He was able to think quickly, and not panic while he was being shot at. That will be quite useful. But I am curious, how did you get such control over the starbolts so quickly?" "Well, after school, I went to this big empty field in the park and practiced. All I really figured out was how to turn it on and off though." But the Elementals nodded in approval. "You have some ambition in you, I see." Eddie said. "Glad to see it. You'll need it for this. Plus it'll work in your favor when we pick a leader."

"I agree, but you'll need more then ambition for what's coming up." Brett said. "You have good command of the starbolts, but you need work with flight. And you need to learn how to use your surroundings. There were about six different ways you could've taken down the droids from the floor that you didn't use. But you are a rookie, so I won't beat you up for it." Rivers accepted the Elementals' rankings and then returned to the group. "All right then, whose next?" Brett asked. "Why not Bart?" Terra asked. "Good idea. I've got a fairly simple exercise for him anyway. Come on up." Sara said.

Bart did so, a smile on his face as he anticipated something easy. "OK Bart, here's the deal." The fox explained. "You are going to fight Eddie." "Huh? I thought this was gonna be easy." Bart complained, not wanting to take on such a good fighter. "Let me finish. Eddie won't be allowed to use any of his powers. It'll be like fighting a normal man. But you won't be allowed to remain in human form. You can take the form of any animal you can think of to take him on. The first one of you to pin the other three times wins. Think you can do it?" Bart nodded, his smile returning at the explanation of the rules. He moved to face Eddie then, who had already relinquished his hammer and cape to Terra. "I'll try to take it easy on you kid.' The dog said, as he assumed a fighting stance. "Please don't." Bart replied cockily, as he poofed into a gorilla.

"They seem to know what they're doing." Jinx said from the control room, as the Titans watched the training go on. "I still don't see why we can't help them ourselves." Beast Boy said from the window, as he watched the fight between Bart and Eddie. His son was doing well in his gorilla form, but Eddie was quickly running him ragged. "Come on, turn into something else." He said aloud, as if his son could hear him. "Honey, he can't hear you." Raven said. "Yeah, but he could if I was down there." He answered. "But no, your dad has to insist on doing this his way." "Because he knows it the best out of all of us." Raven shot back. "Maybe, but does that give him the right to take our children away like this?" Beast Boy snapped back. "I must agree." Starfire said. "Why must we stay out of the way? We know our powers as well as they do, better even." "Because they know how to utilize them." Robin answered. "Raven is right, Brett and Sara have way more experience with this then we do. They are best suited for the job, and if Slade is coming back, the kids have to be trained in the best way possible." "Maybe, but that doesn't mean we have to like it." Cyborg said as he watched. "No it doesn't." Robin agreed.

Eddie darted to the left, dodging the rhino's charge. The huge animal shot past him and embedded its horn in the wall. It pulled frantically, trying to free himself. But the animal simply did not move fast enough. Eddie grabbed a steel beam from the wreckage of the training droid and wedged it into the hole. Taking a few steps back, he ran forward, slamming all his weight into it. The force of the impact pushed the rhino out and straight up onto its back legs. Unable to support himself, Bart fell over onto his back, rhino legs flailing in the air. Eddie walked over and effortlessly placed his foot onto the rhino's chest. "Third time. You win Ed." Sara said.

"Was there ever any doubt?" the dog asked as he stepped off and Bart returned to human form. "I don't get it. How did you beat me?" the boy asked as he got to his feet. "I was a gorilla, a lion, a freaking rhino!" "That's your problem." Terra said. "You went right for the biggest animals. I saw your dad work more then enough to know that sometimes the smallest ones are the ones that win fights." "You need to get more variety in your forms." Brett said, nodding in agreement with Terra. "But so far, I think you guys may be cut out for this. Still, I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself. Now then, who's next?"


	11. Training Continues

Chap. 11

Training Continues

"I'll go." Lisa answered, as she stepped forward. "OK. We've already got something prepared for you too." Brett replied, as he moved over to the control panel, and twisted a few dials. Suddenly, the room began to shimmer around them, almost as if it was basking in a heat wave. The steel walls disappeared, and a purple desert sky replaced them. A large canyon wall, as well as a long pathway appeared in front of the Elementals and future Titans. "Whoa, I never heard about this." Eddie said, as he looked around in wonder. "Tamarian holo-emitters. They're not as realistic as the ones we used for your parent but they cover a much bigger space. One of Robin and Starfire's wedding gifts from Galfore." Sara explained. "Who?" Katie asked. "Basically, he was Starfire's 'nanny', but he could also rip out spines with his bare hands. Star crowned him emperor of Tamaran after she won the right to rule from her sister Blackfire. Fun dude." "I'm sure." Lisa muttered. "So what exactly is this?"

"This, is the Acverian desert, from Tamaran's eastern quadrant. It was one of your dad's favorite training courses, after we got the emitters installed." Brett explained. "Basically, all you have to do is get from here to the other end of the canyon within the time limit." "Sounds simple enough." Lisa said. "You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Brett said cryptically. "Get ready kid, you only have ten minutes. On your mark, get set, GO!"

Lisa almost instantly began to sprint down the canyon pathway, leaping past the rocks and obstacles with ease. Her father's agility and her mother's alien strength had given Lisa a superhuman speed and agility, that even the great Batman would not have been able to emulate at his peak. As the group watched, she came across a large rock formation that blocked the pathway across the canyon. But barely giving it a second glance, the young girl leapt to the side of the canyon, bounced off the wall, swung across a branch that cropped out from the upper level of the wall and landed on the other side of the formation, running again the second that she hit the ground.

"Wow, she's halfway done in only three minutes." Sara said in amazement as she looked down at her watch. "Robin never even did it that fast." "True, but Robin didn't have some alien strength and endurance to keep him going this long." Brett said. "You know, this is cool and all." Terra asked suddenly. "but shouldn't she have to do more?" "Yeah, this seems way too easy." Rivers agreed. "Don't worry, your sister should be meeting a challenge right about now." Brett said.

As the bat spoke those words, the ground suddenly began to shake, as though in the grips of an earthquake. Lisa stopped, as she looked around to see if any of the rocks were going to come loose and bury her. But what did come down was much worse then any kind of rock. A huge purple form suddenly blasted forth from the side of the canyon wall in a wave of rock and dust. Lisa shielded her eyes, and then when the dust finally cleared, she looked up in horror at what had emerged. The creature was a gigantic purple worm, oozing pus from its huge six-story body. Its large circular mouth glistened with teeth and they gnashed back and forth, in anticipation of food. Lisa began to back away, but then Sara yelled out, "This was your dad's favorite part. Don't worry, it can't really hurt you." Since the worm was a hologram, that seemed plausible, but as it suddenly lunged forward, it's huge frame casting its shadow over her, Lisa began to doubt that statement.

As the worm attempted to throw it's huge body on top of her, Lisa quickly rolled out of the way, just as the impact of the huge body waved over the ground. Moving quickly, Lisa grabbed a nearby rock and hurled it at the creature, aiming right for its face. The rock landed in the creature's eye, puncturing it almost instantly. The huge creature threw its head back and howled as the blood from its wounded eye ran down its face. Lisa watched it and laughed as it howled in pain. But as she gloated, she failed to notice the worm's tail raising up behind her and moving towards the canyon wall. Suddenly, it slammed into the upper wall, spilling a huge mess of rock and dust down onto the girl. Luckily, Lisa did hear the impact and was able to leap away before the rocks hit, but she misjudged her leap and hit an outcropping on the outer wall with a sickening smack. She fell to the ground like a stone, clutching her shoulder in pain. The worm, seeing this out of the corner of its good eye, turned to face her, it's mouth working overtime at the prospect of food. Lisa tried to get up and run, but she slipped on a loose stone and fell back down, just the worm's approaching face cut off any place for her to run. As it opened wide and prepared to swallow her, Lisa began to scream in fear.

But suddenly, the worm vanished, as did the desert. Lisa looked up at the steel walls of the training room and the others standing by the control panel. As she got to her feet, Brett shook his head and said, "All you had to do was get past the worm and run four feet and you would've been done. What happened?" "Hey, that thing was huge! What was I supposed to do?" Lisa yelled back, as Eddie came over to check on her shoulder. "Cut her a break, Grampa. That thing was really big." Bart said. But the bat refused to back off. "I know it was huge. But I've fought bigger things then that with absolutely nothing and still managed to get past it." "It was trying to eat me!" Lisa yelled, as she pulled her shoulder away from Eddie and stomped up to Brett. "Besides, I blinded the damn thing, didn't I?" she said right to the bat's face. "That wasn't the point. You weren't supposed to kill it, just get past it. And you could have done it, if you hadn't taken that wasted minute to gloat over it!" Brett cried back. "You could have run past it when it was blinded and gotten to the end. Instead you fed your ego and it was able to trap you and almost eat you." "What do you think we're here for?" Lisa snapped. "To learn how to run away from everything?" "No, you're here to learn how be a hero, and sometimes that means looking at the bigger picture and letting things go. That includes knowing when to leave your foe and do what's more important." Lisa was still angry, but she had no words to respond to that. Brett shook his head and said, "Look, other then that you did fine, but we're going to talk more about this. Now get back in line."

As Lisa angrily walked back to the group, Brett motioned for Martin to come up. Looking reluctant, the dark-skinned boy did just that. Standing by Brett, he waited to get his task. But Brett had something different in mind. "I'll be honest, you were probably the hardest one to figure out kid." He said. "Your powers seem to be a combination of Jinx and Cyborg. You can affect probability just like she can, but it seems to be limited to the substance and shape of your body." "In English please?" Martin asked with a touch of impatience. "You can turn your body to metal, and shape it into any kind of form you want." Brett said curtly. "Now, I don't really know how to deal with that, so what I'm gonna do with you today is try to figure out what you can do." "And how do we do that?" "Simple. You do whatever I ask you to unless you are physically incapable of doing it. Now then, turn to steel."

Martin's face took on a look of stupefied surprise. "You expect me to just do it?" "I expect you to try. Imagine it happening and it probably will." The bat replied. The look of surprise intensified on the boy's face, but Brett's took on a look of such grimness that Martin sighed and tried to do what he had been asked. In his mind, he pictured molten metal, flowing and churning over his body. Suddenly a wave of coldness swept over his body, and when Martin looked down, his entire body had become glistening steel. Even his dreads were metallic, glistening bronze, except for the pink ones, which had somehow kept their normal color. As he looked over his transformed body in amazement , Brett observed as well, though with more attention to detail then the boy. Suddenly, with one deft motion, Brett drew his sword and lightly, but quickly, slashed along Martin's side in a wave of sparks. "Hey!" Martin yelled, as the bat looked over the effect. "Do you feel any pain?" he asked calmly, seemingly unaware of Martin's annoyance. Martin shook his head in response, but an angry look still colored it. Brett ignored it. "Hmm. Even your nerve endings are hardened. Good. Now then, you see that big weight over there?" Martin turned and nodded, noticing the large cylindrical weight that according to the label, was over six hundred pounds. "Your dad and Starfire used it for training. Go over and lift it, but only with one hand."

Again, Martin gave a quizzical look, but only for a brief moment when seeing the no questions- look on Brett's. Walking over to it, he bent down and placed his left underneath it. His face tightened, as he expected to probably tear some kind of muscle lifting the weight. Sighing, he finally gave the weight a tug with his hand. However, as he pulled up, the weight not only went up, but it literally flew upwards, with amazing speed. As Martin watched in shock, it shot all the way to the ceiling and actually embedded itself there. The boy turned to see the others, even Brett, staring in amazement. "Damn, I didn't think you were that strong." The bat said simply. "You must've done a hell of a lot of weight training or some kind of athletics." "Well, Dad had me go out for track a couple years ago. I took up shot put and did pretty well with it." "Shot put?" Rivers said questioningly. "Wait, you're not the guy who smashed the chem. lab windows and most of the beakers last year were you?" Martin tried to shrug, but the fact that he looked away made it all too clear that he was. "Dude, thank you!" Rivers said gleefully. "I got about three more days to study for my exam because of that mess. I never would've passed any other way." "You're welcome, I guess." Martin replied.

"Well, that's not too surprising, knowing Cy." Brett said. "He always did want to go back to athletics, but he never could, even with my holo-emitters." The bat paused for minute then asked, "Do you like doing it?" "Yeah, it's pretty fun. Why?" "Just curious. Now then, we know some of how you can change your body. Let's see how you can do with shapes. Have you ever seen the diagrams of your dad's old sonic cannon?" Martin nodded. "All right, see if you can shape your arm into it." This time, Martin gave no questioning looks, only closed his eyes and tried to do what he was asked. His right arm quickly began to change, to flow like molten metal. It molded and shifted, until it became an exact replica of Cyborg's sonic cannon. "Cool." Bart said, as he came over and looked at the device. "Hey, no touching." Martin said, pulling his arm away. "Hey, I just wanna see it." Bart said. "Yeah, well, look from over there." Martin snapped. "Hey what's your problem?" "I don't want you touching it and setting it off or something." Martin said.

"I'm not stupid. I wasn't gonna touch it." Bart snapped back, growing a little angry. "Right. Just like you weren't gonna tell the class about what your sister shopped for last weekend." Martin said back. "It was an accident! And why do you care so much? Do you like her?" Bart shot back mockingly. At that, an angry expression grew on the boy's face, and his other fist began to change, clumping together into a mace. Without thinking, Martin began to bring that fist up, and would've brought it down onto Bart, had Brett and Sara not stepped between them. "We don't have time for a pissing match here." Brett said, looking directly at both boys. "Especially with powers you can't fully control yet." "Bart, get back in line and Martin, you learn to control yourself." Sara said angrily. Both boys did as they were told, but not before exchanging one last angry look at each other.

Thankful the crisis was averted, Brett turned his attention back to the matter at hand. "Now Martin, we're going to see how well that cannon actually works. Eddie, Terra, if you wouldn't mind." Eddie nodded at the request, but Terra seemed confused. "Just wait." The dog told his daughter. Closing his hands into fists, the Knight concentrated and turned them into stone. Then suddenly, they separated from his wrists and flew over to the spot right in front of the boy. As Terra watched, Eddie's wrists seemed to grow out and spread, only to reform themselves into a perfect pair of furry hands. Flexing them once, Eddie nodded his satisfaction and turned back to his old hands, now floating in the air. "Give the boy a target." He said to Terra. It was then that she finally understood. Nodding, she raised her hands towards them and using the material that she had been given, caused them to change into a pair of target circles. "Well done." Brett said. "Martin, you know what to do." Nodding, Martin pointed the sonic cannon towards the target and tried to fire it. It took him a few tries but finally, Martin was able to send out a sonic burst and destroy the first target. Smiling, he then turned his attention back towards the other target and destroyed that as well. "Good job Marty." Brett said as he clapped the boy on the back. "Looks like you can create any kind of working weapon you want. Most impressive." "Glad you approve. Anything else you want me to do?" "Sadly no. This was just about learning the range of your powers. We'll have a better system for you next time, but for now, that's all. You can de-armor and go back." Martin nodded, and returned his body to its normal state.

"So, we're down to just one." Brett said, as Martin rejoined the others. "Katie, step forward." Brushing her hair back, the young girl stepped in front of the others, as her grandfather came forward. "Do you know why I saved you for last Katie?" he asked. "Not really." She answered, looking down at the floor nervously. "Because your powers are the ones we have the best understanding of." He answered. "Therefore you are the easiest for us to instruct." "Oh." She said. "Oh? That's all?" Brett replied. "Well, I guess I figured that I wouldn't be too difficult for you to work with." Katie explained, still not looking up from the floor. Gently reaching underneath her chin, Brett pulled her up to face him. "You misunderstand." He explained. "What I mean is that we know how help you control them. That doesn't mean you won't have a difficult time learning. You are the easiest for us to instruct, but your powers are the hardest to control." "Isn't that an oxymoron or something?" Katie asked. "I guess that does sound a bit odd. Let me show you."

Motioning for her to follow him, Brett led Katie over to the wreckage of the targeting droids from River's session. Reaching into the piles, Brett pulled out a large circular device. "This is the droid's neutron power core. Even thought it was destroyed, this is still active." Brett explained. Placing it down in front of Katie, he said, "I want you to levitate this. But if you drop it from too high, it'll explode, due to it's unstable core." "Uh, how high is too high then?" Katie asked nervously. "About six feet. Now, just forget about that, and try to do this."

Katie nodded, and closed her eyes. Reaching out towards the device, she concentrated on moving it. The black aura slowly began to surround the device, as Katie put her powers to work. When the device was fully covered, it began to lift into the air. It went up one foot, two, then stopped. Katie opened her eyes, and seeing her work looked at Brett. But all the bat said was "Higher." "But I can't lift it anymore.' Katie said. "It's too heavy." But again the bat said, "Higher." Sighing, Katie closed her eyes and tried. She pushed her powers, trying as hard as she could, but the device only went up another inch. " I told you." She said, opening her eyes again.

"I think I know how you can do it." Brett said. "You need a mantra." "What's that?" Katie asked. "Your mom had one. Its basically three words, repeated over and over, that you put all your focus on. It really helped her control her powers. Hers was 'Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos', but you can make it anything you want." "Anything? Why not those words?" "Well Raven picked them because she had a connection to each one. Azarath was where she was born, Metrion was her middle name, and Zinthos was her favorite teacher. Yours could be something along those lines." Katie thought about it for a minute, and then smiled as she thought it up. "OK, let me try again." She said, as her eyes closed and then she began to chant her own mantra. At first, she whispered it to herself, but then it began to grow in power. "Pasadena, Arella, Altros." Katie chanted over and over, as she kept her hands raised. Slowly, the device began to rise up again, faster then before. It reached six feet in a minute, but it continued to rise, faster and faster, until it was almost at the ceiling. "Katie stop!" Bart yelled out. His sister opened her eyes, saw where the device was headed, and in a panic dissolved the aura. The device stopped its flight, but then it began its descent. Katie tried to regain her control, but she was too panicked to do so. The device fell at seemingly super speed, falling at an increasing rate towards the floor and certain destruction.


	12. Testing Results

All right guys, here's the ending to last week's cliffhanger. And for those of you who might be Avatar fans, please check out my new story Others, containing a couple of characters from this story(shameless plug)

Chap. 12

Testing Results

The core continued to fall, seeming to gain speed with every second. Everyone reacted differently to this seeming oncoming death. Martin reformed his hands into a huge metal shield and yelled for the others to get behind it. Rivers struggled to turn his flight power back on, hoping to catch the device before it hit. Bart just screamed for his sister to get out of the way. Lisa tried to plan out some way for her to leap up and catch the device, but there was nothing that she could reach in time. Eddie and Terra began to use their powers to create some kind of landing pad. Sara summoned her armor and prepared to fly after the core. But Brett had only one action in him. He stood there silently, staring at the girl who had caused this, waiting for her to fix it.

But Katie was still too panicked to do anything about it. She stood there too terrified to decide on a course of action. Part of her wanted to run to the safety of Martin's shield. Another part wanted to stop the core from descending. Another wanted to get her friends out of here. Another still just wanted to get herself out of here. Too many voices crowded her head, paralyzing her body and making it impossible for her to act. But when it all came down to it, it wasn't a voice that caused her to do anything. It was the screech of a hawk that finally broke her out of her paralysis. Looking up towards the sound, Katie saw a large bird flying up towards the core as it plummeted towards earth. It took her less then a second to determine where it had come from. "Bart get back!" she screamed. But the hawk gave no notice, as it flew closer and closer to the unstable core.

Katie's eyes widened in horror as her brother came closer and closer to ending his own life. She turned towards to Brett, hoping he could do something. But her grandfather was only looking up, watching the flight of the hawk towards the device. Katie couldn't believe that he was being so indifferent to this. _What the hell is wrong with him? _She thought angrily, looking at his calm demeanor. How did he expect to train them when he didn't frigging care about them at all? _Screw him, if he won't do anything, I will. _Katie finally decided, her anger overshadowing all the voices. Katie looked back up towards the bomb, as her hair began to fly around her face in a wave of purple strands. A crackling noise could be heard from around the girl, as she pushed through her insecurities and activated her powers again. The black energy shot forth again, reaching the core before the hawk or any of the others could even attempt to do so. Eyes glowing white, Katie slowly lowered the device to the ground, right at the feet of the Shadow Knight.

"Happy now?" she snapped, as Bart returned to the ground and to human form. "Somewhat." Brett answered. "What is wrong with you?" she yelled, her anger coming out. "Why didn't you try to stop the core? We could have been destroyed!" "I knew you could stop it." The bat replied simply, as he bent down and picked up the device. "Um dude, notice your use of the word could." Bart added. "What if you had been wrong?" Katie asked. "What if I couldn't had stopped it and it hit the ground? What would've happened then?" "Exactly what I expected to." Brett replied, as the others moved over and watched the conversation. "And what was that?" Eddie asked, with a mix of curiosity and anger. "Nothing." Brett said, as he tossed the core over his shoulder back into the pile of robot parts. It flew through the air and landed in the pile…. _Without exploding. _The others stared in shock as Brett said, "Do you really think I would let you handle a bomb on your first try? Even I'm not that crazy. I just told you that so I could be sure you were using your full strength to keep it under control." Now even the Elementals stared at the bat in shock. A huge argument was sure to follow this revelation, and it didn't look like that bat would have much chance in it. But they didn't know, as the doors suddenly opened and the Titans walked inside.

"Time to go home guys." Beast Boy said as he entered the room. "Has it been two hours already?" Brett asked. "Time does fly." "Two hours?" Bart asked. "Yeah, that's the schedule we worked out." Sara explained. "Two hours of training every day after school, three on the weekends." "Weekends too?" Lisa asked, with more then a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Yes. Sadly you can't expect to save the world by cutting corners." Sara said. "Indeed. Guys, can we talk to you alone for a moment?" Brett asked, motioning to the Titans. Nodding, the Titans moved to the side of the room, so the kids couldn't hear. "What is it, Brett?" Robin asked. "Something with the kids?" "Naw, nothing like that. Although I have to say, Lisa is gonna be a bit of a handful. Kid's _waaaayyyy_ more aggressive then you or Star were." "You should see her on the field." Star added. "She got banned for beating the crap out of her umpire." That got a few raised eyebrows from the Elementals. "Anyway, I think that they'll do well. They seem to have good control of their abilities, and they know how to follow instruction, for the most part." "Yeah, we saw that from up there." Cyborg said. But at that, Brett put on a sad smile and said, "Well that's the thing. We don't want you to see it anymore."

"Huh?" Cyborg asked in confusion. "We don't want you to watch their training sessions after today." Brett said. "What? Why?" Beast Boy asked. "It's nothing personal. You're just a distraction to the kids." Brett said. "OK Dad. You'd better have a good reason for this, or I'm gonna rethink letting Katie and Bart do this at all." Raven snapped. Thankfully, at that moment Terra came forward to try to calm them down. "Look guys, it's not because we don't want you here. We just don't want the kids to feel like they have to succeed because you're watching them. Let's face it; you guys set the bar for them. It was hard for me to train under your gaze. Imagine how difficult it'll be for them." The Titans were silent a moment, then nodded, seeing the wisdom in the girl's words. "OK, but I do want to come in here and try to get the systems back on line." Cy said. "Of course. We don't want you banned from the Tower. It still is yours after all. Just don't watch the kids train." They nodded and the group separated, the Titans moving to take their kids home. But as they walked off, Brett could feel the resentment move off them. The bat recognized it, and he was pained by it, but he took it, because he knew that he had earned it. But he also knew that he would earn much more of it in the coming months.

The Titans left the island, and returned to their homes. The adults were quiet, thinking about the events of the last few days and how they were going to deal with it. The kids were different. Some were happy to be put in the position of hero. Others were angry over things that had happened in the day. And as night crept over the city and they went to bed, none thought more about it then Katie. She was still unable to believe what her grandfather had put her through. _How could he lie to me like that?_ She thought, as she sat in bed, unable to sleep. "He's in my life two days and he screws with me like that?" she muttered aloud. "How does he expect that I'll listen to him?" "Well, if not, we're gonna have to face Slade alone." A voice said from nowhere. Katie whirled around, only to see a fly on the wall change into her brother. "God, it's gonna be even worse with you now." She muttered. "You could always put up flypaper." Bart suggested.

As he moved over to the bed, he asked, "So when are you gonna forgive Grampa?" "When do you think?" "Probably never." "Look, he just doing this because he wants to help us." "How can you say that Bart?" Katie asked incredulously. "He put you into danger too." "No he didn't. It wasn't a real bomb." He said defiantly. "It doesn't matter. He lied to me and made me worry about you and the others. Can you imagine what it would've felt like if I had gotten you or one of the others hurt? I never could've forgiven myself." "Kate, we're all gonna get hurt eventually." Bart said. "I could've hurt somebody, or Rivers could've, or any of the others. And if they had, we wouldn't have blamed them for it, just like we wouldn't have blamed you. Well, maybe Martin would've, but I don't think even he's a big enough jerk for that. And Grampa is just trying to make sure we do everything we can to make sure we don't hurt anybody. Maybe he shouldn't have tried it like that with you but come on. Weren't you trying way harder then you would have if it had just been a piece of trash?"

"Well, I guess so, but…." She stopped then, unable to finish her thought. Bart smiled, thinking the argument was in the bag. "Look, we're gonna have to do things we don't like here. The best we can do is learn from it. I mean, think about it. We're gonna be heroes! Who knows, maybe after this mess with Slade, we can keep Titans Towers open, do this stuff from now on! Can you imagine how cool that would be?" "Maybe." Katie said, with a yawn. "How about you go back to sleep and we can dream about it?" Bart nodded and moved over to the door. But before he left, he said, "Look Katie, maybe he feels just as bad as you do for doing it anyway." With that, he closed the door. As the darkness covered the room, Katie pulled up the covers and wished she could believe him.

Meanwhile at the tower, the Elementals were sitting down to a meal of take out Chinese and discussing the course of the next day's training. It would be accurate to say that neither the meal nor discussion was being enjoyed. Brett was the only one really talking about it. The others were simply sitting, eating, and occasionally responding with a yes or no. Brett tried to keep it going, but eventually even he realized that there was no point to continuing. "What is it now?" he said with exasperation, as he sank back into his chair. "I've been going on about this for almost twenty minutes and none of you seem to care. What is wrong?" "What do you think?" Terra said, as she put her fork down. "You being an idiot today."

"How was I an idiot?" the bat asked. "Gee, maybe it was when you lied to your granddaughter about a live bomb?" Eddie snapped back. "Is that why I'm getting the cold shoulder?" Brett asked with astonishment. "Come on guys, we've done that sort of maneuver a million times." "Yeah, but we always knew about it." Sara said. "You didn't even bother to tell us you were doing this." "If I had told you, you would have given it away." The bat replied simply. "Brilliant. Robin said the same thing once and look what happened then." Sara replied. "Look Brett, we're not just here to get these kids trained. We need for them to trust us, and frankly that stunt today set us back. Besides that, you've been so goddamn strict with this training. I mean, you told the kids you were God, you pretty much told the Titans they were a problem and kicked them out of the Tower, and you made Katie hate you. I know we have to get these kids trained, but we shouldn't have to alienate them and our friends and family in the process.

Brett's face was a mask of anger, prompting a huge argument that was to follow. But then it broke. "I know." He sighed, as he slumped further down into his chair. "But I don't know any other way to do it. I mean, we've trained kids for this sort of thing before, sure. But it was never _our _kids. Raven said it best, we're sending our own children to the slaughter. I guess the only way I could see through it was to just concentrate on the training. And the Titans being around, I guess it just kept reminding me about what I was doing, so I tried to get rid of them. And I know I'm hurting them too. I can sense how pissed Raven is getting. But I just don't know any other way to do this."

"Brett, you don't have to keep pushing them away." Sara said. "They don't need you to be God; they need you to be human. You need to show that even the best of us screw up." "Well I suppose it couldn't hurt." Brett said. "Besides, I guess I can over do it." "Ya think?" Eddie asked, as he moved to the fridge to get a soda. "You just need to calm down a bit and they'll start to trust you." Sara said. "Hell, maybe they'll actually think you're a leader of some kind." Suddenly Eddie called out from the fridge, "Hey look what I found!" The group turned and saw Eddie holding up a plate of gelatin like food, with strange bits stuck inside. "Hey, Starfire's glorg!" Terra said happily. "What the heck is Glorg?" Eddie asked, as he set it down on the table. "Don't know, but it tastes like sushi and ice cream." "Damn! Let's get some!" Eddie said, as he tossed her a fork and the two of them began to eat. As they eagerly devoured the quivering mess, Sara said, "That should've tipped us off right away." "Uh-huh." Brett said in agreement, as he watched the disturbing sight unfold. But as he watched, an idea began to form in his mind, about how to prove gods can be human.


	13. School Dazed

Chap. 13

School Dazed

The bell rang, signaling the end of the classes. As the doors opened, countless numbers of kids surged out, eager to shove their books and what not in their lockers and get the hell out of the building. The main exit doors practically burst open from the mass of kids pushing them back. But after the main surge had ended and the wave of kids began to trickle down, three kids walked out with less speed and enthusiasm then those who had come before. Of course, the fact they were carrying a load of books and sports equipment did do a lot to kill both their speed and enthusiasm.

"Jesus, how many classes do you take?" Bart gasped, as he readjusted the large pack of books on his back. "It's not my fault I take a couple of early morning classes." Rivers answered, as he walked by with some more books in his arms. "A couple? Dude there have to be like, twelve books here!" Bart shot back. "Geometry's complicated." Rivers answered simply. "Aww, too heavy for you little boy?" Martin asked mockingly as he walked by carrying a few bags of softballs, bats, and the like. "Maybe if I gave them to your sister to carry for you?" "Hey Martin, " Bart wheezed. "Why don't you stick to sports, and I'll stick to developing the mind I actually have?" "Oooh, I'm hurt. But I guess you need all the development you can get." Martin sneered back. But sadly, Martin didn't see who was in front of him when he said that. "Actually, I think you can afford to hold a few more things. Why don't you help him?" Cyborg said as he stood in front of the boys, his holo-image reapplied to his form.

"What? Dad come on, I've got all this stuff for the softball team to drop off!" Martin complained. "And won't they be impressed when they see all the books you read? Now you take that pack and drop that stuff off. I'll be waiting here when you get back." Muttering angrily, Martin grabbed the pack of books from Bart's back, threw it over his shoulder and began to walk over to the softball field. "Thanks Mr. Stone." Bart said, as he lay back against the former Titans' car. The parents had worked out the night before that Cy would drive the kids to training each day, since he needed to re-build the Towers circuitry anyway. And since Cy owned his own business, leaving this early wasn't too much of a problem for him. "No problem Bart. But don't you think you're a bit young to be having all those classes?" "Hey it's not me." Bart said, pointing to Rivers. "You?" Cyborg said with some surprise. "I like to learn sir." Rivers said, a bit stiffly. Cy just smiled and said, "Just like your mom. Star was always trying to learn everything she could about the world. But still, even she knew when to stop. You've gotta be taking early morning classes to need all those books, how early do you get up?" "About five-thirty sir." Rivers answered. At that, both Bart and Cy's eyes popped. The bionic Titan just shook his head and said, "You are gonna be wasted from all this training boy." "We'll see sir." Rivers said. "I suppose so. Now then, where are the rest of you? We need to get to the Tower soon."

"I think Lisa's over at the softball field, working on getting back on the team this season." Rivers said. "That's a problem?" Cy asked. "It is when you attack the umpire and break his nose." "That was her I read about in the paper?" Cy said in disbelief. "Yeah. They said that she's gonna be suspended for the season, but Mom and Dad have been working with the school to try to get her back on. Supposed to find out for sure today." "Hmm. What about Katie?" Cy asked, looking at Bart. But the young boy just shrugged. "I dunno. She was kinda weird this morning, and I haven't really seen her all day." "She did seem a bit distant in class today." Rivers agreed. "Do you think she's still mad about yesterday?" "That mess with the bomb? Wouldn't surprise me." Cyborg said. "Brett had a good idea, but he did it way too soon. I don't get what's with him lately. He used to be a lot more easy-going, but since this started, he's way more aloof."

"What do you think it is, Mr. Stone?" Bart asked. "I don't know. Maybe he's just worried about whatever's coming. I suppose if it was strong enough to throw most of the Elementals into limbo, I'd be worried too. I'm just glad he's got Sara and the others to keep him in line." "You think that she can?" Rivers asked. "She's his wife. If she can't, he really has gone over the deep end." Suddenly, Cy turned to the left, and seemed to focus on something in the distance. "Hey Bart, I think I see Katie over by that tree. Why don't you go get her?" "Aww, but I'm tire…. Wait what tree?" "The one by the side of the school. The oak." "But that's more then thirty feet away! How can you…." "Cybernetic eye. Now go get your sister." But Bart maintained his tired excuse. "It's ok. I'll get her." Rivers said, as he began to run for the tree.

The shade from the oak was cool and comforting, a nice respite form the blazing sunlight. As Katie lay down underneath it, she reveled in its simple comfort. She could have stayed here for hours, just relaxing underneath it's cool gaze without a care. But nothing that simple ever lasts, and a moment later it ended with four words; "What are you doing?" "Relaxing, now go awa.. oh." Katie said, as she looked up and saw Rivers. "You know we have to get going." The young boy said. "I'm not coming." Katie replied, as she leaned back under the tree. "Huh? Did I hear that right?" Rivers asked. "Not if it implied that I'm not coming." Was her answer. "Katie you have to come. We need this training." "Maybe you do, but not me. My mom can show me how to control my powers. I don't need him." "Look, I don't agree with what he did, but…" "Don't try to convince me ok? I've thought about this and I've made my decision. He lied to me and made me think you were all in danger, and didn't care about it. If he can act like he doesn't need me, then I don't need him."

"What about what we need?" Rivers asked. "Have you thought about that?" Katie looked up, but before she could finish, Rivers pressed on. "You say that he didn't care about you before, I can't say you're wrong. He hasn't really done much to show he cares about any of us. But if you give up on us like this, then you're not much better. At least what Brett does, he does because he wants us to be ready to fight for the world. You're just doing this because you're mad. And frankly that's a lot more selfish then what he did. Because you're giving up on your brother and your friends because you had go through something you didn't like. " He finished and looked at Katie, waiting for a response. But what he got was a bit different then what he expected. "We're friends?" Katie asked, a bit shakily. "Sure, why wouldn't we be?" Rivers asked. "I mean, if we weren't, would I be unhappy enough at the prospect of you leaving to beg like this?" Rivers said some more after this, but Katie had stopped listening after that. Her eyes wide, she got up. "OK, let's go." She said, and then quickly walked off in the direction of the others. Rivers watched her walk by, a look of total surprise on his face. "What did I say?" he wondered aloud, as he slowly began to follow.

"There they are." Bart said, as he saw Katie and Rivers walking up to the car. "I was starting to wonder what was going on with you two." Cyborg said. Katie quickly moved her head down, letting her long hair hide her blush, but Rivers, in total obliviousness, said, "Well, I just had to talk a little bit is all. Where are the others?" Cy opened his mouth to answer but before he could, a softball flew over his head at what seemed like light speed and some extremely angry muttering could be heard. The group turned to see Lisa angrily stomping her way to the car and Martin trailing behind, keeping his distance as best he could. Without a word to anyone, she threw open the door to the car, got inside, and shut it with a slam. "I take it things didn't go well?" Rivers asked Martin. "Hey, all I know is that she stormed out of the dugout, slammed every locker on her way down the hallway, and hasn't said two words since." Martin replied. "So who gets to sit next to her?"


	14. Proving Grounds

Once again, dignity and calmness must raise

**_THIRTY REVIEWS! WHOOOOOOOOOOO! WHOOOOOOOO! THANK YOU! _**

Oh that felt good. Anyway, here's the first of this week's chapters, filled with drama, comedy, suspense, action, and probably any other genres you can think of.

Chap. 14

Proving Grounds

Once everyone had gotten into the car, (with Lisa sitting up front, away from everyone else) Cyborg drove off in the direction of Titans Tower. Upon reaching the pier, he drove the car onto a long ferry, emblazoned with the old Titans logo. "So that's how it worked?" Martin asked. "Well, how did you think we got from the isle to the mainland every day?" Cy asked as he drove the car onto the ferry. "Good thing that I kept it hidden by the Tower." "But if it was hidden, who sent it here?" Bart asked. "The glory of remote controls." Cy said as he pressed a button on a device by his window. The gate behind them shut automatically, and the boat began to take them to the Tower.

A few minutes later, the ferry reached the island and unlocked the gate to deliver its cargo. Cyborg drove the car up onto the land just as Terra and Sara came up to greet them. "Hey guys, how was your day?" Sara asked as they exited the car. "Eh the usual. Tests, essays, boring lectures. You know." Bart replied. "Actually our day was far more interesting." Rivers said. "Our first class was English and that included further work on…" "God do you ever shut up!" Lisa yelled as she stomped past her brother. "What's with her?" Terra asked. "She got kicked off the softball team. Anyway, we started working on chap. 12 of _Huck Finn…"_

Rivers continued his excruciatingly detailed description of his day as the group walked up the island, heading for the Tower. But instead of going inside it, Terra and Sara lead the group to the east of it, heading for what seemed like a large empty space on that quadrant of the island. "Um, is there a reason we're here?" Bart asked, as he looked around the seemingly empty space. "Yeah, and I think I know what it is." Cyborg said, as he looked to the right and saw the control desk on top of the large rock formation. "Good thinking Cy." Brett yelled over from the panel, where he and Eddie stood. In a burst of shadowfire, the bat vanished and in another burst, reappeared next to the group. "Glad to you see guys." The bat said, with real meaning behind the words. But his only response was a few indifferent stares and one very cold one. Sighing he said, "Well, I see that this is going to be a fun day. Look, I'm sorry for what I did yesterday. That kind of exercise requires some trust and I know I haven't really done a lot to earn that from you guys yet. But if you'll give me a chance, I promise that I'll do everything I can to start earning it and stop demanding it. Deal?" The bat looked at the group, a look of total openness on his face. One by one, they slowly gave a nod, even Lisa, angry as she was. But Katie just looked away. Brett nodded his thanks for the others, though the fact she had turned away lessened most of the good feeling their acceptance had given him.

"So what are we doing today?" Lisa asked. "I hope you're gonna give us something to beat the crap out of." "Uh, not just yet." The bat replied. "First I thought I'd put Martin through his rounds, since we didn't really get to that yesterday." "Great, now what am I supposed to do out here?" Martin asked back. "Watch and you'll find out." Brett replied. Turning back to face Eddie on the control platform, he gave the thumbs-up sign. Ed nodded in response and began to twist the dials on the panel. Suddenly the ground began to shake around the group. As they watched in amazement, things began to shoot out of the ground; barricades, weapons, fall-away platforms that opened and closed in the ground. Finally, everything came to the surface and the shaking stopped. "What the heck is that?" Martin asked, looking at the training ground the empty space had erupted into. "This is the Titans obstacle course." Cyborg answered. "We used for outdoor training. Was a lot of fun, as I recall." "I think you and I have different definitions of fun then." Martin said. "Well, that might change once you run it a few times." Sara said. "Wait, I'm gonna do what now?" Martin asked urgently. "Why do you think we brought it up?" Brett asked. "You're gonna run through; it'll be a great test of your powers." "Wait Dad, can't you, um, run through it first or something?" "No son, this is your test. Now I'm gonna go and see what I can do in the Tower, so you're on your own. But I'm sure you'll do fine." With that, Cy turned in the direction of the Tower and began to walk. Martin started to say something, then gave up and turned back to the course, albeit with a look of unhappiness on his face.

"So what do I have to do?" he asked glumly. "Just run through the course. Nothing too hard." Brett said, as he motioned for Eddie to activate the course. With the push of a button, it came alive, with guns primed and all traps working. "Don't worry, everything is on stun." The bat said. "Gee thanks." Martin muttered, as he switched to steel and leapt across the line into the course. Without a word, he began to run across he track, as the weapons began to fire on him. But the steel teen simply dodged most of the blasts, and the few that hit him did little damage. He smashed his way through the barricades with ease, like a human battering ram. The others watched on impressed, except for one, who was noticing something wrong with the course's progression.

"Wait something's wrong." Lisa said, as she watched the course continue. "Look at those rocks, they're getting totaled. If the rays are set on stun, they shouldn't be doing that much damage." Indeed, the landscape was becoming charred and blasted, from weapons supposedly too weak to do such damage. "She's right, they must be stuck on a higher setting." Terra said, as she looked over the destruction on the course that Martin was still trying to run through. "But that's impossible. It says right here that they're set on stun." Eddie said, as the Elementals began to crowd over the panel. "Wait a minute, what's this?" Sara said, as she pointed to a folded piece of metal on the circuitry covering. It seemed to be lightly sparking from inside the device. "Oh that can't be good." She said, as she leaned forward to get a better look. But that proved a mistake, as whatever was wrong with the machine finally reached it's zenith, as the circuitry exploded in a wave of sparks. Sara threw her cloak in front of her eyes, shielding herself from the sparks, as the others quickly pulled away. "But this doesn't make sense. It worked fine in the test run." Eddie swore, as he tried to regain some control over the device. "Yeah, but a test run uses less power then a full run. The circuitry must be too old to properly handle it." Brett said as he looked out onto the course to see what would happen.

Sadly, it was what he feared, as all of the weapons within the course suddenly swiveled around and turned their focus onto Martin. The steel teen suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a huge stream of energy blasts. They impacted against his body, causing little actual damage, but pushing him further and further away from the goal. Worse still, it was obvious that the impact was weakening the boy by the expression on his face. At the rate he was being attacked, Brett figured that he'd be forced to drop his steel shielding in about five minutes. Luckily, the bat was quick to both thought and action. "Terra, Katie, Rivers, come with me. The rest of you stay here and try to shut off the course. It's time I teach you a very important lesson; how to rescue a teammate from imminent danger."

With that, Brett leapt down from the panel and began to run through the course. Of course, the second he did this all the guns turned onto him. But he was prepared for that as well. As they watched him run towards the energy blast, the shadowfire suddenly washed over him, and when it faded, the armored form of the Nightstalker was suddenly having the energy deflect off his impervious armor. "Wow." Was all Rivers could say as he watched the near-mindless trek of the Shadow Knight. "You get used to it." Terra said, as she used her powers to pull up a large rock from the ground for them to ride over the course on. "Hop on!" she yelled, as she did just that. Rivers and Katie looked at each other a moment, then followed suit, as Terra steered the rock over the course. "I don't suppose this thing has seatbelts or something?" Katie yelled over the gunfire. "Naw, just crevices to hold on to." Was the reply. "Great." She muttered, as the rock began its descent into the firefight.

Meanwhile, Nightstalker was weaving his way through the obstacles and gunfire with seeming ease. Of course, years of skill and practice did help. But regardless of how he did it, the bat quickly made his way over to Martin, who was beginning to falter underneath the constant impact of the weaponry. Despite his best efforts, the steel teen fell to his knees, and seemed about to pass out. But just at that moment seemed upon him, Nightstalker finally reached him. Drawing his sword, the bat became a whirling dervish, his blade practically invisible as it moved this way and that, deflecting the attacks away. "Great… course.." Martin sputtered out. "It's malfunctioning. Don't worry, we'll get you out." The bat said, without missing a single beat. "I'm… totally…. Comforted." The boy spat out. As the rock landed besides them, Terra and the others leapt off. "Hang on, I'll get you out of here." The young earth-mover yelled, as she attempted to make another rock-sled. But as the second one began to lift out of the earth, the weaponry turned on it and blew it to pieces. "There's too much fire! We need to cut some of 'em down!" Nightstalker yelled. "Rivers, try to shoot 'em! Terra, Katie, try to make some kind of shield!"

Despite their uneasiness towards 'Stalker, the two trainees quickly fell into action. River's hands ignited and began to blast the guns. A few of his shots were deflected but some of the weapons began to explode, one-by-one. Meanwhile, Terra and Katie's eyes glowed as their combined powers created a huge shield of earth around the group. Terra held the earth up, while Katie kept it together against the impact of the gunfire. "Good job. See what you can do with Martin." Nightstalker said, as he finally stopped shielding the boy and moved to help Rivers with the cannons. But he had barely deflected two shots, when the guns suddenly deactivated, and retracted into their holsters. "Well, that was convenient." Rivers said, as he lowered his starbolts. "They must have shut the course down." 'Stalker said, as the armor became shadowfire again, and vanished. Behind them, the sound of the earth-shield lowering could be heard, as the girls let out an audible sigh of relief. "Are all the exercises today like this?" Terra asked. "I hope not, or else we're gonna have some serious clean-up to do at some point." Brett said, as he turned back to face them.

But the second he turned, a look of absolute horror crossed the bat's face. Without a word, he suddenly leapt up, over the girls' heads and onto the rock formation behind them. He clung to it for a second, and then suddenly, something blasted him off. He was blown back over the ground, skipped a couple times, and then came to a halt. "Brett!" Terra yelled, as she ran to her fallen uncle. Rivers quickly looked up, and saw the small cannon sticking out of the formation. Without a word, he blasted it, then ran over to Katie and helped her get Martin up. As the three teens got to their feet, they saw Brett coming back, leaning on Terra's shoulder. His shirt had scorched wide open, and a gaping chest wound was clearly visible. But as they watched, the wound slowly began to close itself. "You guys ok?" the bat asked, in a voice clearly in pain from his efforts. "Y-Yeah, but what about you?" Martin asked his usual attitude gone in sight of this wound. "I've had worse." The bat replied. "Come on, let's go back to the Tower. I think more then a few of us can use the med-lab." With Terra's help, the bat continued to walk past them. But then Katie grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. As the bat turned to face her, the girl said, "You could've just warned us. Why did you do that?" He was silent for a moment, then said, "I felt like I had something to prove." With that, he turned and continued to limp back to the Tower. But they just watched him silently, wondering just what sort of being he was.


	15. Understanding

Chap. 15

Understanding

"They're coming back." Lisa said, as she looked out into the distance. "Good. How do they look?" asked Eddie, in his standard gruff voice. "I think we might have some injured." The girl responded. "Crap. Well, let's get down there and take a look." The dog replied, as he leapt off the control panel and began to move over to the approaching heroes. The others quickly followed. "Well, I suppose training is cancelled now?" Martin asked, as they approached. "We'll see." Sara responded, as she looked over the scratches and dents on the boy's steel body. "Grampa! What happened?" Bart asked in horror, seeing the wound on Brett's chest. Even though it was still healing, it was quite fearsome to see as it covered most of the bat's chest. "I had a run-in with a plasma cannon. But only one of us is still around, thanks to Rivers here." The bat said, in a voice that was much abated from the early, intense pain of the wound. In fact, as the group watched, the wound began to heal faster and faster, until it finally vanished. The fur grew back almost instantly, and within seconds, it looked as though the wound had never been there.

"Whoa." Bart said, in awe at the sight. "You should've seen him back in the dungeon of Atraxk." Eddie said. "He re-grew both his arms and his entire small intestine." "Cool, yet something I never want to picture." Lisa said, her face curling in slight disgust at the thought. "Hopefully, I won't have to do something like that for awhile." Brett said, as he gently eased off of Terra's supportive arm. "But right now. I think we need to get to the med-lab and get Martin checked out." "I don't know. I think I'm feeling better." Martin said, as he took a tentative step forward. But the second he put pressure on it, he stumbled and would have fallen, if Rivers and Eddie had not grabbed him. "I'm not so sure." Sara said. "Come on, I already called your dad and told him to ready the med-lab."

Indeed, Cyborg had the lab primed and ready when the group entered. Luckily, the Titans had been sure to update their medical facilities with all the latest technology. As they laid Martin down on a table, Cyborg pressed a few buttons and brought down a large scanner, which shone it's light down on the boy. As the device did it's work, Cy asked, "What the hell are you guys doing out there?" "Cy it was an accident." Terra said. "An accident? My son is laying on the table with a near-broken leg, and you call it an accident?" "Look, we set up that course ourselves." Eddie said. "We tested it out and it worked fine. It's not our fault that that twenty year old circuitry blew after that."

"Well maybe if you had thought to check it again before setting kids loose in it." "Oh I'm sorry, I thought that you built to last." Eddie snapped back. That did it. Cyborg pushed the controls away and shot his steel fist towards the dog's face. But Eddie simply pushed it away, and drew up his own fists, eager for a fight. And perhaps they would have, if Katie had not stepped between them. "Come on, you want to do this now?" she yelled at both of them. It didn't matter that they were heroes, well over her age and experience. She took both of them down with only a few words. "You honestly want to get into a brawl now, while someone's lying on a table in pain? Jesus Christ, I thought that you got smarter as you got older! Instead you two are acting like five-year-olds. Why don't you get Martin some help, then get into a pissing match?" Cy and Eddie looked at the angry teenager who had just put them in their place, then looked at each other. "She's right." Cy said. "I guess so." Eddie said. "I know you wouldn't have put them in danger knowingly." "And I guess twenty years will rot anything." "Sorry." Both said at once, too proud to say much else.

"Well now that's over." Sara said, as she walked over to Martin. Placing her hand on the boy's injured body, she closed her eyes and channeled her powers into healing him. Within minutes, the dents and scratches had evened out and his steel body looked brand new. "How does that feel?" she asked as Martin got up. "Much better, thanks." He replied, as he changed his body back to normal. "Why didn't you do that before?" he asked. "We needed to know what was wrong with you first." Sara replied. "Well, I guess we should figure out the next move." Brett said. "I think we could fix the machine, with a little help." Eddie said, with a look at Cyborg. "How long?" Brett asked. "I can only make a guess, but probably about forty minutes." Cy said. "OK then, we'll take a rest for that long and meet back outside then. In the meantime, I think I'd better change out of this thing." He said, gesturing to his ruined clothes. "Good idea. I think cartoons are on now." Bart said, as he headed out. "We need to do something about him." Martin said, shaking his head as he followed the others out.

As the group made their way out of the room, Eddie and Cyborg headed down to the exit, to start work on the obstacle course. Sara turned to join them, but then felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Katie standing by. "Something up?" she asked. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Katie asked. "About what?" Sara asked, turning to face the girl. Katie took a look around, making sure they were alone, then said, "It's about Brett." Quickly, she told the fox the story of what happened on the course. When she finished, Sara gave a wistful shake of her head. "Just what I would figure from him." "He's done this before?" Katie asked. "Brett has a harder time dealing with his problems then most people.A lot fo times, he can't talk about somethingso he'll demonstrate what he wants to say. So if he jumped in front of that cannon to save you, he wants to talk about making amends." "What should I do then?" Katie asked. "Go talk to him. That's what he wants you to do. I know you're mad at him, but he'll just keep it up till you do speak with him." "Why can't he just say this himself?" "He's a man. That fact alone makes him impossible to deal with." Katie smiled at that. "Do you really think it would do any good?" "I think you should try it. Brett really does care about you. That's why he's been acting this way; because it actually pains him to think about you guys getting hurt." "I guess I didn't think of it that way. Thanks, Grandma." She said as she left to find Brett's room.

Katie looked up at the door, wondering why she was doing this. When she had begun the day, she had wanted to never speak to her grandfather again. She had hated him for his uncaring ways, and his thoughtless action towards her. She still felt that way. So why was she standing in front of his room, about to knock on the door and try to understand him? _Because he hurt himself to save you._ A voice said inside her head. But Katie didn't know if that was the truth. He needed all of them to stop Slade; he could've just done it to protect his weapons. Yet, she remembered the words he had said on the course; _I felt like I had something to prove. _He looked right at her when he'd say them. Was it his way of offering apology? His way of saying that he really did care? Katie didn't know; she had spent too little time with her grandfather to know his ways. She could just walk away now, and never find out; let him sink in his guilt for a lifetime. Let her anger color her impression of him forever. _That's what Trigon would do. That's what Slade would do. Are you really like them? _Katie shook her head. She may be her mother's daughter, but she knew who she was. She was not like them, or anyone else like them. Raising up her hand, she knocked on the door thrice. He answered almost instantly, "Come in." The door slid open, and Katie walked inside the room.

But what she saw was totally different then what she had expected. A dark cave had probably best suited her idea of Brett's tastes. But instead, she walked inside a lightly colored room, which seemed to radiate warmth and invitation. The walls were colored dark aqua blue, the floor white carpet. The walls were decorated with posters of Bruce Springsteen, U2, The Distillers, Joan Jett, and about ten other musicians. In the left-hand corner of the room, there was a large, black piano and a set of keyboards; standing by the side were four guitars, two acoustic and two electric, and an electric bass. A few amps were scattered by the back wall. A large clothes dresser stood by them. A king-size bed lay by the right wall, and it was here that the only odd things were in place. One was the matching mannequin on either side of the bed, one of which was dressed in the now tattered black and gray rags of the Nightstalker; sword strapped to it's back. The other was the figure of Brett, sitting cross-legged on the bed, looking as though he had been waiting.

"Nice room." Katie said simply, as she looked around in wonder. "Thanks. We didn't really change much since we left.' Brett said. He was now barefoot, dressed in jeans and a red-and-white T-shirt with a strange symbol on it; something like a cross between a circle and three triangles. It gave him a much more approachable appearance, one that Katie was a little taken aback by. Seeing a being so alien to her in way that made him frankly, seem human, was a bit strange. She stood by quietly, a little unsure of where to start. "Where'd you get that?" she finally asked, pointing at the shirt. "Made it, in memory of a good friend. He wore this symbol all the time, so after he left, I made it in his memory. " He answered. "Really? You know how to do that?" she asked. "I've learned a few tricks over the centuries." The bat replied. "I could show you if you want." "Maybe later. I didn't really come in here for that." "I know." Brett said, as he uncrossed his legs and hung them over the bed.

"What happened out there today?" she asked, as she walked over to the bed and sat down next to him. "Why did you do that?" "You were in danger. I had to help you." The bat said simply. "Not that. Why did you take the blast? You could've just yelled out a warning, or knocked us out of its way. Why did you sacrifice yourself like that?" Brett looked at her then, and replied, "Because I knew I would survive. And I guess I figured it would be a step in the right direction." "Towards what?" "You know the answer. To proving that I do care about you guys. I know I haven't done a lot to show that to you and I want that to change."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Katie, I know that I just came into your life with a lot of secrets and some crazy demands. But I don't want to be just that. I don't want you to think of me as some guy who just trained you and then disappeared. I want to be a part of your life, like family should. I don't have a lot of that. I only have my brothers, Sara, your mom and…. Dad, you, and Bart. I don't want any of you to hate me, because I don't know how I would accept it. Can we please try to start over?"

Katie heard the words, and though her face didn't change, her heart and mind were keyed up. Hearing those words made her feel guilt about her anger, as well as a sense of realization. For his appearance and powers, and all his mystique, Brett really was human. He just wanted the things everyone did; to be loved, and love in return. "Do you promise that you'll stop being so cold?" Katie asked. "Swear to God." The bat replied, placing his hand over his heart. "Then, there is one more thing…" "Yes?" "I heard from Mom that you know a lot about history?" "Yeah. I always thought it was interesting. Plus I've lived through a few eras." "Cool. Anyway, do you think you could, oh I don't know, do some work in my history class for me?" "Gee, like all of it?" the bat asked, with a smile on his face. "No, just some papers, and worksheets, and…" "Nice try." Brett said. "I know, but I really do hate it." "Just like your dad. Well, I won't do it for you, but I'll try to give you a hand ok?" "Sounds good." Katie said, as they got up from the bed and walked to the door. As they got to it, Katie said, "I didn't say this before, and I think I need to. Thanks for what you did today, … Grampa." She left through the door before Brett could say anything. The bat stood there silent, a surprised look on his face. Then a huge smile broke over it, and he followed her out.


	16. Fall From Grace

Chap. 16

Fall from Grace

After that, things improved between Brett and the kids. He became like the Brett of old, a more fun teacher, who would correct gently and listen to the words of his students. It was a good thing too, because every day, Slade came closer. And while the kids were learning much, they were still nowhere near ready to face him. They were good, but the question still remained of how to get them to their full potential. The Elementals spent a lot of time discussing it, but they just could not figure out an answer. Of course, sometimes an answer will come whether you plan for it or not.

"Come on, you're almost there!" Eddie yelled from the training room's control space, as Lisa and Martin inched closer to their goal. "Easy for you to say!" Lisa yelled back, as she dodged another shot from the plasma cannon. A second later, Martin smashed it to bits, leaving the two of them even closer to their goal. In this case, the goal was a large spire, on top of which was the shut off button for the exercise. Eddie had designed the exercise himself, as well as picked who would run it first. He had chosen Lisa and Martin, because they were total opposites. Lisa's agility and slight build made her think carefully about each step and how to sidestep the obstacles. Of course, that also made her more vulnerable to the shots of the weaponry. And while Martin's steel body made him invulnerable to that effect, he had a habit of simply smashing his way through everything. He also wasn't capable of climbing up the smooth sides of the spire, though Lisa was. Eddie knew that the two of them would have to work together in order to finish the course. He just hoped they could do it.

"Come on!" Martin yelled, as he took down the two cannons surrounding the spire. Lisa flipped over the wreckage and landed next to the steel teen. Looking up, she said, "All right, I think if we.." But before she could even begin to formulate a plan, Martin had already begun to smash at the sides of the spire. "What are you doing?" Lisa yelled, as she tried to pull him away. "I figure, we can bring it down to us." Martin replied. "Are you stupid? If we do that, then the circuits will be broken. The button will be useless!" "You don't know that!" Martin yelled back, as he drew his fist up and continued to beat at the spire. "Yes I do! Will you shut up and listen?" Lisa snapped, as she leapt in front of the spire to prevent Martin from smashing it. "Get out of the way!" Martin yelled back. But she never got a chance to. Suddenly, two panels popped out of the spire and a pair of small sniper-blasters popped out. While the two teens stood arguing, the blasters swiveled around and with almost no sound, fired. The two of them didn't even notice the sound of the machinery, until they were hit by the blasts and blown away from the spire in a heap.

The blasters would've taken another shot, but suddenly they whipped back around and retreated into the spire. Likewise, all the cannons retracted into the walls, as the entrance door opened and Eddie stomped his way down. "Dammit, that's the third time you've screwed this up!" he yelled out as the two of them pulled themselves to their feet. "If you would just stopping arguing for five seconds, you could get this done. Why can't you do that?" "Hey, why don't you do it then, if it's so easy?" Martin snapped back. "Because I'm not the one who needs to do it. You are." Eddie answered back. "But frankly, I'm starting to think I could do it by myself. Because at least then, I could make a goddamn decision on what to do!"

"Look, you thought this thing up, don't blame us if I doesn't work." Lisa said. "It may not work, but it isn't because of Eddie's job on it." Said a voice from the door. The others turned as Brett and the rest of the group walked into the room. "You two can't work together for five minutes without tearing each others' head off." The bat continued. "Well if she would just let me do something on my own." Martin said. "Hey, maybe if you had a good idea!" Lisa snapped back. "Enough! I don't care what it is, but it is going to end now." Eddie said, throwing his hands up in the air. "You have got to learn how to work together, or this is never going to succeed." "How do you expect me to work with this hoity little snit?" Martin asked angrily. "Or me with this lumbering idiot?" Lisa back, with an equal amount of venom. "Because you both have qualities that can add to one another, if you could put your gripes aside and learn to use them." The dog replied.

But despite the wisdom of his words, neither Lisa nor Martin seemed any closer to calming down. "Do have any idea how much your parents accomplished by working together?" Sara asked, hoping that a reminder of the past might shame into working together. But that proved to be a both the right and wrong thing to say. "I don't care!" both teenagers yelled out in unison. "Oh really?" she asked, knowing that a nerve had just been struck. "Look I just don't feel like hearing about my parents and what they did ok?" Martin said. "Me either." Lisa said. Even though both were still angry, there was a trace of melancholy in their voices, that somebody was smart enough to pick up on. "Are they telling you guys stories too?" Katie asked. "Huh?" A slight smile on her lips, Katie said, "Ever since this started, my parents started telling us stories about the old days." "Yeah it's pretty cool." Bart added. "But it's also a bit overwhelming, isn't it?" Sara said, catching onto the line with ease. "Yeah. I mean the stuff about Trigon and Slade… I don't know if we can ever get to that level." Katie said, as the melancholy evident in her friend's voices began to creep into her own.

Perhaps it was hearing their own fears and thoughts, reflected back at them that caused Lisa and Martin to finally get into the conversation; "At least you don't have to hear about the stuff that went on with Batman." Lisa said. "Or how your father rebuilt his body all those times." Martin added. "Or becoming ruler of a whole planet." Rivers said. "I mean really, what are we supposed to do with all this?" The Knights gave no answer, knowing that these thoughts had to simply be uttered, not answered upon. "I don't know. They probably think that they're helping us, but it just it seems even more out of reach." Lisa said. "Um, am I the only one who does enjoy these stories then?" Bart asked. "I mean, I just like hearing about all the cool stuff they got to do." "Don't you get it?" Martin asked. "We're gonna have to do all that and more. We have to face a demon-man, or whatever Slade is gonna be, and we don't even have the experience they did when they fought Trigon." "So? We'll be trained, we'll do fine." Bart replied with confidence. "I've been watching the old tapes of them fighting. We don't have a chance." Martin said. "They were coordinated, quick-thinking, hell they were perfect. And we're never gonna be there, no matter what we do."

"Wait, you think they were perfect?" Terra asked. Martin and the other kids, save Bart, nodded. The blonde girl looked back at Brett and Sara, who looked back with a mirror image of surprise on both their faces. Then, the three of them did something that surprised even Eddie; they erupted into peals of laughter. "Oh my…. You actually…. Oh I'm gonna die." Terra spurted out between laughter. Brett actually grabbed his stomach in pain, as Sara leaned on him for support. This fit went on for about three or four minutes, before they were finally able to calm down. "Is there some joke I'm not in on?" Eddie asked in slight annoyance. "I'm sorry man, but… perfect, jeez you guys did not know your parents." Brett said. "What do you mean?" Bart asked. "Do have any idea how many times your parents stepped in it?" Sara asked incredulously. "Didn't you ever hear about the time Beast Boy accidentally infected Cyborg with a virus that made him eat half the garbage in town?" "No way, Dad actually did that?" Martin asked. "Oh yeah. And that isn't counting the time he put that chip in his head so he could do more stuff. He almost blew out half his wiring!" "That was good, but remember when Starfire nearly married that blob thing back on Tammeran?" Brett said. "Jesus Christ, that thing was ugly! And she wouldn't say anything about it, just tried to act like she was happy." "Yeah, that really pissed off Robin. It was like watching that date he had with Kitten in reverse!" Sara added. "Oh, and that time Raven brought the movie monster to life and it nearly ate all of us? All because she wouldn't admit she was afraid."

The kids listened intently, eager to listen to these tales of their parents, even though they weren't the victorious ones they had been fed. Finally, the two knights stopped, smiling at all the old memories. "Trust me guys, it's ok to screw up. Everyone does it, no matter how great they seem. Besides, if I can come back from it, anyone can." Terra said. "If you really need proof though, I think I've got the perfect thing for you. Brett, why don't you call up the picture you showed me yesterday?" "You mean…. Oh, they are going to hate you." Brett said, but he moved over to the viewscreen all the same. Typing a few commands into the keyboard, the bat pressed one last button, and a large image of the old Titans filled the screen. The kids gaped at it for a few minutes, and then began to snigger in laughter. It showed their parents, in front of the entrance to a mall, ready for battle and dressed in the most ridiculous fashions known to man. Beast Boy was in a pink bunny suit, Raven in a yellow dress and pigtails, Cyborg in a rain coat and boots, Starfire in an oversized green sweater, and Robin, who had almost escaped the idiocy, had it not been for the slicked back school boy hair.

"Oh my God… what were they on?" Bart snickered out. "There this weird demon that Cyborg brought home in a pie." Brett explained. "It's a really long story, but she basically made the Titans think that she was their mother and that they were five years old. She even redecorated the Tower to add to the effect; God it was like being in gingerbread hell! Luckily, us B.R.A.T.S didn't have any of the pie after we saw what it did to them. But we did manage to get a few shots for posterity. You should see the diaper pics we got." The bat finished, as he looked over the kids with a smile. In the space of a few minutes, they had gone from sad, unconfident, kids, to a group of laughing friends. It was a warm sight to behold, and there was no telling how long it could have lasted, had Cyborg not walked in with the other parents, ready to take the kids home. "Hey what's so funny in.. "SWEET HEAVENLY GOD HOW DID YOU GET A PICTURE OF THAT!"


	17. Change in the Curriculum

Chap. 17

Change in the Curriculum

"No way, I still say watching that date you had with Kitten was the worst." Sara said, with another sip of coffee. The group of former Titans and B.R.A.T.S was now sitting at the center table in the main room of the Tower, discussing the old times. Terra and Eddie were working the training course with the kids, so there was plenty of time for discussion. Of course, given how the Titans had entered the Tower, it revolved around the many times the Titans and Elementals had made fools of themselves. Right now, it was Robin's turn to try to explain his actions. "Look, I had to save the city! And if that meant I had to go to a junior high prom and date an insane, manipulative bitch, so be it." "Oh no, I think you misunderstand." Brett said. "When we watched you, we just pitied you." "Well, I guess that's a little better." The former boy wonder said, as he leaned back in his chair. ""But then what was it that was so funny?"

"It wasn't obvious? Watching Starfire practically ignite into flame watching you two." Brett said with a grin on his face. "That was hilarious." The others smiled, remembering what they had been told about that night. Except Starfire of course. "I was attempting to free Robin from the clutches of that evil witch." She said, with a slight puss on her face. "Is that why you crushed her car with one hand?" Sara asked with a smile. "Did she not deserve it?" Star asked. "Yes, and I still appreciate it honey." Robin said, as he leaned over and kissed his wife lightly on the cheek. That helped cheer Starfire up quite a bit.

"Ehh, besides you were kids then. Kids are crazy when it comes to love. That's why I'm thankful I don't remember my childhood." Brett added, as he sipped at his own coffee. "Hey from what I've seen, you must've been as love sick as the rest of us." Cyborg said. "Name one time when love's made me do something stupid." Brett said, confidence in his voice. "Gee, have you forgotten the day Beast Boy told you Raven was pregnant before they got married?" Sara asked. The bat's face deflated a bit, but he pulled himself up and said, "I think I handled that in a fairly mature and dignified manner." "Dude, you leapt across the table and tried to strangle me!" Beast Boy cried. "And it took all my strength just to pull you off." Sara added. Brett was quiet a moment, then said, "Ok, but notice your choice of words; _tried, _not succeeded." "What difference would that make?" Jinx asked. "If I had really wanted to kill Beast Boy, I would've done it. I was just giving him a taste of what would happen if he ever made my little girl unhappy." At this, there was a collective "_RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT."_

"Fine, think what you want. I let 'em get married didn't I?" Brett muttered as he slumped into his chair. There was some light laughter, then quiet for a moment. "We should've done this sooner." Cyborg said suddenly. "What?" Jinx asked. "Get together like this, remember who we were. I mean think, can you guys remember another time that we've all even been in the same building?" Everyone shook their heads. "Why'd that happen?" Cy asked. "I-I don't know." Starfire said. "I always thought about how much I missed you guys. But I could never really pick up the phone." "Me too." Jinx said. "I kept thinking about everything we did, hell everything you did for me. Then when I did, I just… got scared to see you guys." "What? Why would you be scared of us?" Beast Boy asked. "It was never being scared of you Greenie." Jinx said. "I guess it was what you'd become, what I'd become." "You mean, normal?" Raven asked. "Well, kinda I guess." Jinx said. "I mean, we did a lot of great things. Our days used to be stopping super-villains and saving the world. Now it consists of cleaning the house and doing our taxes. I guess I thought that if I saw you guys doing it, it would be more real. It's not like I'm unhappy with my life, it's just…." "You thought seeing us would make you miss it." Robin finished.

"If that's true, maybe it is good we stayed away." Brett said. "What are you talking about?" Jinx asked. "Didn't you guys wonder why we've been gone for twenty years?" Sara asked. "We figured that you were on missions for the Architects, like you're supposed to." Raven said. "True, but we barely sent any cards or made any calls; and don't think we couldn't have." "So why didn't you?" Robin asked. "Because we didn't want to interrupt the lives you guys were making." Brett said. "We just figured that if we ever came by, we'd just be a reminder of bad times. You guys retired so you could escape all that and feel free. How would you feel if we showed up at your door? I mean look at this. The first time we come back in twenty tears and we're dragging your kids into this god-forsaken mess." He sighed and slumped back into his chair, too depressed to say anymore.

The Titans were quiet then. No one had any idea what to say to such an out-pouring. Of course, for such an emotional outburst, an empath may know best. "Why would you ever think that?" Raven asked, as she got and walked to her parent's chairs. "I always wondered where you guys were. I was happy every time you called the house. Why would I want you out of my life?" Brett began to respond, but Sara hushed him. "You two were the best thing that ever happened to me." Raven continued. "You made believe I could be happy, that I deserved to be happy. I want you to feel that way too. You are a part of my life, and I would never want that to change." "I wish I had believed that." Brett said. "But I suppose after strangling your husband, I was a little unsure of my status." "_Tried _to strangle, not succeeded." Raven said with a smile. "Well, she's definitely your daughter.' Sara said. "Given the alternative, I'd hope so." Beast Boy said. "It's hard enough with this guy as my father-in-law."

The old friends talked for a long while, until it finally came time to leave. The kids left the training room, tired and slightly battered, but satisfied with the day's effort. They each said their goodbyes, some with a better understanding of each other, others with a reminder of what they were fighting for. And as the ferry sped back to the shore, the Elementals felt that maybe it was possible for them to come out of this with their old friendships. Well, most of them. As the ferry speed off, Terra stood there quietly, watching her old friends disappear into the sunset with a morose expression. The others noticed it of course; after today it would have been difficult for them not to. Yet Brett and Sara did not stay to try to help. Instead, they left Eddie alone with his daughter, to try to be the father he needed to be. The dog sighed at the prospect, his uncertainty apparent on his face. But he was a Knight; he had to try.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked, as Brett and Sara walked back into the Tower. "Not sure they're worth that much." Terra replied. "Come on, try me." Eddie said. "I guarantee you that I've had more worthless thoughts; you wouldn't believe how much crap I have buried in my head." That brought a slight smile, and he pressed on. "Now really, what's troubling you?" "I guess the same old thing." Terra answered, looking out at the sea. "The Titans?" Eddie asked. "You still miss the old days?" "No, I'm over that. I think it's just seeing them the way they are now." "You mean the way they've grown out of all this?" "No, it's not that either." Terra said. "It's the way they have a point to their lives, something that they can say they did." "You have a purpose." Eddie said. "You're helping to make sure that their children are prepared for what's coming. You're trying to at. …" he stopped then, afraid to go on. But Terra wasn't.

"Yeah, I'm trying to atone. But I'm sick of doing it. I screwed up twenty years ago and I was locked up in stone as punishment. But even when I got out it doesn't stop. I'm thirty-four years old, and I have the body and mind of a fourteen year old. Yes, I'm training now, but when this is all over, what am I gonna do? The city will never take me back, and I don't have anywhere else to go. And what if I'm like you? What if I'm immortal, and I have to deal with this forever? I don't want to be this forever, I can't…." Terra finally broke off, her frustrations and sorrows building on her face.

But before she could, Terra felt a pair of hands, old and cracked, but still warm, caress her face. "I don't know what kind of answers I can give you." Eddie said. "But I do know this. You and I, we are heroes. We will always have a purpose, even when we don't want it. And sometimes, it seems like that purpose is a stone that bears down on us and makes everything we do seem impossible. But sometimes, it turns out to be something that is our reward. It took me centuries, but I finally found mine right here, on this island. And I know you will find yours. For now, you have to wait and hope. But you deserve a chance to see if the Titans' lives are ones you want. And I think I know how to do that……."

_A few days later…._

"All right students, time to get to work." Mr. Gover said, as he shut his notebook and motioned for everyone to get up. "Find your groups and see what you can get done. Remember, I want to see you guys doing something!" "Right, like we have anything left to do." Bart muttered as he got up. Truthfully, the lad had a point. The kids had actually managed to finish most of their project; in fact, what was left was simple rehearsal. But Gover wanted to see everything that was being done, so he insisted on these work-sessions during each Tuesday period. Frankly, Bart just wanted next Friday to come, so they could give their presentation and be done with it

Suddenly, the door opened, and the principal walked into the room. Almost instantly, everyone quieted down. But the man only chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I'm not here for any of you. I actually have an announcement to make." He paused a moment for dramatic effect, then said, "We have a new student here at the school. She's just come in from Markovia and I want you to show her the best behavior you can while she's getting used to this place." As he droned on, Martin leaned over and whispered, "Hey if she's hot, I'll help her." Bart smiled, but Lisa just scowled. "Boys." She muttered. "Anyway," said the principal as he wrapped up. "Without further adieu allow me to introduce Ms. Tara Markov." The class lightly applauded as the new girl walked into the room. She was fairly tall, dressed in jeans and a green and white T-shirt. There was also a butterfly clip holding her blond hair in place. That hair was actually quite long and healthy looking, causing many members of the class to stare in wonder as they clapped. But for five students, the light applause quickly changed into shocked looks. Of course, no one else noticed this and the principal continued to give his welcome speech.

"I trust you've found everything to your liking?" he asked Tara. "Pretty much." The girl replied. "It looks like you have a really good set-up here." "Well, we try." The principal replied. "Now then, I'll let Mr. Gover here set you up in the class and we'll go from there. I hope you do well, Ms. Markov." "I'll try sir." Tara answered. The principal nodded and walked out of the room. "So what's up teach?" Tara asked. "Well, the class was just working on its group project. If you'll give me a minute, I'll place you with an appropriate group." "Sounds good." The girl answered. Gover quickly went over to his desk and began to look through the group forms. Which gave just enough time for Terra to look over at the still shocked kids and give a wink.


	18. Field Day

Chap. 18

Field Day

As luck would have it, Terra didn't get placed with the others. Gover decided that she would join up with Group 3, which had lost one of its members due to a football injury. Terra went over without a fuss and began to incorporate herself into the group. She was actually quite outgoing and friendly, so it didn't take her too long to get accumulated. But having never read _Huck Finn _Terra had to have much of the book explained to her, which hampered the group's progress. Of course, they still did more work then the new Titans, who spent their time trying to figure out why Terra was in their class and what it could possibly mean. They all had different theories but they all agreed that they would have to talk with her afterwards about it.

However, as it happens so many times in life, afterwards came sooner then they expected. "Time's up!" Gover said suddenly, causing each group to place their work down. Looking up at the clock, the teacher said, "Well, since we lost some time to Ms. Markov's welcoming, it looks like there's about five minutes left for you guys to relax." There was a small cheer at that, and the class almost immediately began to talk amongst themselves. Terra however, excused herself from her group and walked over to the others. "Hi guys, how you doing?" she asked, as if she had always gone to this school. "Um, Terr.." "Shh. I'm Tara here." She whispered back. "Fine, Tara. What are you doing here?" Katie whispered. "Getting an education?" "How'd you get in here anyway?" Rivers asked. "Eddie put me in. He had to make up a few documents, but everything worked out." Terra answered. "OK, but why would you want to come here anyway?" Martin asked. At that, Terra laughed and said, "What, I can't want an education?" "Well, no, but I didn't think…" Bart stuttered "What?" "Well, I mean, with who you are, this all seems kinda, well normal."

Terra answered, "And what makes you think that I wouldn't want that?" "I think what Bart is trying to say is that we thought you'd be happy in the Tower and everything." Lisa said. "You know, with everything you have to do and work for…" "What do you mean work for?" Terra said, her eyes narrowing at the words. "Uh, I, uh, I guess I was thinking…" Lisa stuttered, trying to think of what she had said incorrectly and how to fix it. But Terra beat her to the punch. "You were thinking I'd spend all my time in there, trying to 'atone' didn't you?" "Terra, I didn't say that…" "You didn't have to. I'm sick of always hearing about how I screwed up and that I have to make up for it. Maybe I don't want to spend every day of my life doing that ok? Maybe I want to try to do other things with my life. You get to have that choice, is it so wrong that I get to? Is it?" She asked again, as the earth-mover's eyes began to water from the emotions running through her.

Lisa backed off then, not knowing what to say that could make up for what she had done. But while she couldn't, Katie did. Moving over to the girl, Katie put her hand on her shoulder. As Terra turned to face her, Katie said, "Tara, you know that none of us think that of you. We've only seen you as a teacher, and we don't blame you for what you did." "Yeah, I mean, you're spending your time making sure we don't have to make the same choices that you did." Rivers added. "And Lisa wasn't trying to say anything to the contrary. We're just, well, surprised to see you like this." Katie finished. Terra wiped her eyes and said, "I know. But I guess I just worry about that. I don't know what people are gonna think of me when we finally get out of this. I'm so sick of getting blamed, and I don't want them to start hating me again." "Terra, you know they won't think that if you can prove yourself." Katie said. She would have said more, but then the bell rang. As the students around them began to get up and leave, the kids looked at Terra, wondering if she'd be ok. But as if she could read their minds, the girl smiled and waved them off. The new Titans smiled and began to walk off, except for Lisa. She stood there and looking right at Terra asked, "So, are we cool?" "We're cool." The young girl replied. "Don't even think about it. I overreacted. But if you do want to make up for it,…" "Yes?" "Do you know how to get to the bio lab from here?"

The rest of the day progressed with little incident. Terra had no other classes with the kids that day, but met up with them at the end to get back to the Tower. Cyborg was surprised to see Terra in a school setting, but commended her for being able to pick up the pieces of her life so well. Terra thanked him and the group drove off to the Tower. As they drove thought, there was still one question that they had to ask, and as the group got onto the ferry, Martin finally got up enough guts to ask; "Tara Markov?" "Well, yeah that's my name." Terra replied. "You don't think Mom named me Terra right off, did you?" "Well I guess, it's just kinda weird to think of the whole 'secret identity' thing." "Hey you guys are gonna have to do it soon enough." She answered back. "We can't let you go out as yourselves, it'd kill your social lives." At that, Cyborg did ask, "Have you guys put any thought towards names for yourselves?" The kid's response was to look away and mutter answers that all said, "Well, not yet." "Eh, I suppose you still have plenty of time to figure that part out." Cy said, as the ferry docked on the island.

The group quickly began to exit the car, only to find Eddie waiting on the dock. "Hey honey, how was your day?" he asked Terra immediately. "Pretty cool. I got to watch my bio prof. cut open a baby pig." "Sounds like a perfect day." The dog replied, as he began to walk up the embankment with the girl. "Gee, nice to see you too." Martin mumbled as the group followed. "Cut Eddie a break." Cy said back to his son. "He's just trying to make Terra happy and hopefully accepting of him." "What do you mean?" Martin asked back, quietly so as not to be heard by the others. "I talked to Brett about it. Supposedly Terra is still having trouble accepting Eddie as her dad. Hell, she still can't even say the word to him yet. And it isn't helping Eddie much either that he's nervous about the whole thing. So if he wants to pay her a little attention, don't mock it."

Martin nodded back, as the group walked through the entrance of the Tower. However, the second they did, the room was suddenly filled with blazing lights and sirens. "What is going on?" Rivers yelled, holding his ears to block out the sound. "We've been having some technical problems." Eddie yelled back over the noise. Thankfully a few minutes later, the alarms shut off, as Brett and Sara walked down the stairs. "Jesus, you guys still haven't been able to fix that?" Terra asked. "Sadly no." Sara replied. "What is it anyway?" Bart asked. "It's the old alarms that went off whenever something went wrong in the city. But after the first one, we realized that absolutely nothing is happening." Sara explained. Turning to Cy, she said, "They started going off last night. It's totally random, and we can't predict when the next one will go off. Any ideas?" "Might be a conflicted signal from the main receiver." Cy said thoughtfully. "I'll go check it out." "Thanks. You think you can get it fixed today?" Brett asked. "Hey, is there anything I can't fix?" Cy asked. "Good point. Now then, while you do that, the rest of us have some work to do in the training room."

A few minutes later, they stood inside the massive room, ready to begin the day's training. "So what kind of course do we get to run today?" Martin asked, in a voice that said he was too eager to do it. "Actually, today we're gonna try something a bit different." Terra said, who had changed back into her uniform for the exercise. "Brett and I worked it out last night. You guys are going to tag-team." As the kids stood waiting for an explanation, Brett took over. "You see those two barrels over there?" he asked, pointing to the two large steel barrels in the center of the room. Both had a large blinking light in the center. "What you're gonna do is, two of you are going to have to guard those barrels from the other two, who will be trying to destroy the lights. You'll have twenty minutes to try, then we'll switch up the teams and try again. Sound good?" "Yeah, but what is this gonna prove?" Lisa asked. "For one things, it'll teach you how to be able to work with each other, no matter who that other may be. Plus, you'll also learn the extent of your teammates' powers. Knowing that can be the difference between life and death, because teammates can help each other better in battle when they know everything that they are capable of."

"OK, so who's up first?" Lisa asked. "Actually, you are. You'll be working with Bart to try to destroy the lights." "Oh goodie." She muttered, as the over-eager boy moved over to join her and tripped over his own two feet. "Martin, Rivers, you two will be guarding the barrels. Fight hard, but be careful not to hurt each other too badly." "That's comforting." Rivers said, as he and Martin moved into place. "OK, 1, 2,… 3!" Within seconds of hearing that number, Bart leapt at the right barrel, poofing into a tiger in a cloud of black smoke. But just before he reached it, his claws suddenly bit into a steel arm. "Sorry dude." Martin said, as he flipped the tiger back from whence he had came. However, Bart's training had served him well. As he flew backwards, he suddenly transformed into an elephant. Landing with a huge thud, Bart reared up on his hind legs, trumpeting in defiance. But while Rivers and Martin looked unimpressed by the gesture, they failed to see the menace behind it. As Bart fell back to the earth, he suddenly flipped his trunk forward, throwing Lisa, who had been grasping it behind the sight of the elephant, forward at the barrels. "Good! Keep up that teamwork!" Brett yelled, as the girl sped towards the barrels. But then Martin's steel body came between them. It seemed as though Lisa would be crushed, but as she reached the body, she suddenly flipped over, using her hands to push off of Martin's shoulders. Landing behind the steel teenager, she drew her fist back, ready to crush the barrel.

But before she could land the blow, Lisa was suddenly bombarded with starbolts. Though none of them made contact, they forced her to flip away from the barrel, since Rivers was airborne and out of her reach. "Nice targeting, Riv!" Terra yelled. "Stay that exact and they don't stand a chance!" Rivers nodded, but stayed focused on the task at hand. It was a good thing too, because a fly suddenly buzzed past his eyes, blurring his vision. For a second, Rivers thought it was simply a normal bug, but then he remembered what was going on. He quickly tried to find it, but then he was shoved into the most disgusting environment he had ever faced, as slimy tentacles suddenly wrapped around his head. Unable to focus, Rivers sank to the ground, as he attempted to force the squid off his head. "Very creative Bart. But don't hold him too long." Sara warned. The squid responded with a strangely accurate 'thumbs-up' gesture with his tentacles. But that proved a mistake, as Martin grabbed the exposed tendril and used it to pull the squid off his teammate. "Thanks." Rivers gasped out. "Just don't screw up." Martin snapped back. He then turned back to the form of Lisa and threw the squid at her. Bart struck dead on, his slimy body knocking her down. "Looks like we win." Martin said, looking up at the clock, which had almost run out.

Looks however, are deceiving. There was a poof of smoke, and suddenly Lisa was riding a rhino towards the two of them. Martin threw his body in front of the animal, but the creatures' strength and speed knocked him out. But as Martin fell, Rivers took his place, starbolts at the ready. But Bart suddenly veered to the right, and Lisa leapt onto the wall, running its length to reach the barrels.

And no doubt, Lisa and Bart would have hit their target, had not the sudden blaring siren and flashing red lights thrown off their concentration. Lisa lost her focus and slipped on the wall, falling to the ground. Bart was shocked back into human form and ran into Rivers, knocking both of them down. As the two boys attempted to detangle themselves, Brett pulled out his communicator and yelled, "Goddamit Cy, you said you would fix that alarm!" "I did!" he yelled back from the central control room. "Then what the hell is going on?" the bat asked. "I don't know! Just gimme a minute!" Cyborg yelled. A minute later, the lights and sounds finally came to a halt. "Well that's better." Rivers muttered as he finally got back to his feet. "I thought your dad knew how to fix things." Eddie said to Martin. "Usually, but he has blown up a few engines from time to time." Martin answered, as he de-armored. "Terrific." The dog muttered. Ignoring both of them, Brett asked Cy, "What just happened?" "As far as I can tell, nothing. Everything's in working order, I can't explain it." "Wait, everything works?" the bat asked. "Yes, everything." "Hmmm… meet us in the main room in five minutes Cyborg." The bat said. "You've got an idea don't you?" Cy asked back. "I just might." The bat replied, as he shut off the device. "Come on." He said to the others, as he moved off to the exit. "What about the training?" Bart asked. "If I'm right, we're about to get some serious training right now." Brett answered.

A few minutes later, the group gathered back in the main room, where an ominous sight met them. The huge viewscreen, which had deployed only in emergencies, was down and was showing a map of the city, with a blinking dot showing a location. "Looks you did fix the alarm Cy." Sara said. "This is real." "Then let's see what it is." Cyborg said, as he moved over to the keyboards and began to type in commands. The map suddenly began to contract, as the location filled the screen. "It's the jewelry store at 15th street." The bionic Titan said. "Looks like they're under attack." The screen then filled with the images of police forces barricading the entrance and attempting to retake it. But as they began to open fire on the entrance, huge playing cards suddenly unfolded out of thin air, bent forward slightly and threw the bullets back at them. "Three guesses who that is." Brett said, his eyes narrowing. Indeed, a second later, a caped and tuxedoed figure carrying a large sack suddenly appeared and sucked the cards back into his cuffs. Smiling, he suddenly pulled off his top hat and held it out like a weapon, empty end facing the cops. "You guys had some weird enemies." Eddie said, as he watched the strange scene unfold. Before the cops could react, a gigantic, monstrous looking rabbit leapt out of the hat and with a mighty roar, began to attack as the older, but still dangerous form of Mumbo Jumbo laughed at the sight.

"Great, when did he get out?" Sara muttered as the screen shut off. "I don't know, but somebody's better put him back in." Brett said. "All right, so when do we go?" Cyborg asked as he got up. But the bat gave a sad little smile and said, "Cy, this time 'we' does not include you." "But then who… Oh you don't mean…" Cy said, as the kids suddenly remembered what the bat had said about serious training. "Indeed I do." Brett replied. Turning around to face the kids, he asked, "So, who wants to take down their first supervillian?" Since no one responded with an immediate "ME!", Brett said, "Come on guys, we could use some help with this." "But Grampa, we're not ready yet." Katie argued. "And what better place to learn it then in the field?" Brett asked. "Come on, you guys are going to fight Slade and you're telling me you can't even take down a two bit player like Mumbo?" Brett argued. "I thought you were gonna show us how to do that." Martin shot back. "Some things training can't do. Some things you have to experience by yourself." The bat answered. "Look guys, you won't do this alone. We're gonna be with you, and we're more then capable of taking down Mumbo ourselves if things get out of hand. Besides, this way we can see how far along you've come."

As a motivational speech, it kinda did its job, as the looks of reluctance did fade a bit. Bart even smiled a little and asked, "So when do we leave?" "Soon as you guys suit up." Brett replied. "Suit up?" the young boy asked back. "Well you don't think you're going out like that, do you?" Sara asked. "We've been working on some costumes for you guys and I think now's as good a time as any." With that, Eddie suddenly moved over to the sofa and grabbed five bundles of clothes from under the coffee table. Handing out one to each of the kids, he said, "I think you'll like 'em. We tried to make it a good mix of your folk's suits and a little bit of your own likes." "Well, that sounds promising." Lisa said, as she looked over her costume with curiosity. "You can change in the back rooms." Brett said, pointing to the small storage rooms in the walls of the room.

But as the kids left to change, there was still one other issue that had to be dealt with. "I don't care Brett, I'm coming with you." Cy said, once the kids were out of earshot. "Cyborg, I told you, not this time. You haven't done this sort of thing in years. Frankly you'd be as much a hindrance as you think the kids could be" The bat answered. "Bull! I'm not gonna let those kids fight Mumbo alone. I don't care what you think about me." The former Titan shot back. "Cyborg they're not going to be alone." Terra said. "We'll watch out for them. Besides, don't you remember when I started training? I came with you guys on a mission after I did the obstacle course once." "It's not the same." Cyborg said. "No it's better then that. They have close to a month's worth of training, by some of the greatest teachers on Earth." The girl said. "Besides, Mumbo was pretty lame as I recall." Cyborg laughed a bit at that. "Well, I suppose as long as he doesn't turn Marty into a bear." "What?" Terra asked. "Guess we didn't tell you about that one." But before Cyborg could elaborate, the doors behind them opened up, and the new Titans emerged.

Five pairs of eyes widened at the sight of the costumed figures before them. Eddie had promised excellent clothing, and he had not lied. Each costume was a beautiful update on the classic outfits of the Titans. Lisa was dressed in a red and green uniform, similar to Robin's right down to the utility belt. But the gloves reached down to her elbows and were fitted with small, extremely sharp talons at the fingertips. The design on the front was a large phoenix-like bird, wings outstretched and seeming to fly through flames. A black cape, designed to look like the feathers of a bird fluttered down from her back, and a black mask was wrapped around her lower face, outlined by the strands of hair that fell down the sides of her head. River's costume was comprised of purple boots that ran all the way to his knees and jutted upwards at points from there. He wore simple pants and a muscle shirt as well as a vest, all colored purple. His arms were bare, except for the fingerless gloves and metallic wristbands that ran down from his elbows.

As for Katie, hers was almost a double of Raven's costume, with its leotard base, long flowing blue cape, and hood that covered much of her face, except for the long hair that flowed outward. But what made it different was the long boots that ran almost the whole length of her legs, stopping just below her waist, leaving a line of skin in between. A silver belt was wrapped around her waist, and except for blue wristbands, her arms were completely bare. Bart however, had taken very little from his father's image. The young boy was clothed in shorts, regular looking boots, a long black shirt with the image of a multi-headed animal on it, a vest over that, and gray gloves. But Martin certainly took the prize for simplest costume. His was a pair of black pants, yellow boots, yellow wire that ran off from his belt and down his legs, and no shirt. Of course once he was armored, that wouldn't make a difference.

The entire room was silent, as every looked each other over with a mix of curiosity and awe. Finally, Eddie broke the silence; "So, what do you think?" "I-I don't know what to say." Lisa said, her usual attitude gone. "This looks unbelievable." "You got that right." Cyborg said, as he looked over the costumes with a smile on his face. "Hell, I don't we ever looked this good." "How'd you make these anyway?" Bart asked. "They feel like they're made of silk, but it can't be." "Oh, and you know what silk feels like?" Martin asked. "Actually, he's not far off." Sara said. "We used a fabric that comprised of unstable molecules. They adjust themselves to feel as comfortable as possible, and to make the fit perfect." "How'd you get that?" Katie asked. "Same place we got the emitters." Brett answered. "Now then, there's just one more thing to do; you guys need to pick names."

"Huh?" Rivers asked. "Well you can't very well go out there as yourselves. If that was the case, we wouldn't have bothered with the suits." "Well, ok then. How about…. Firestar?" Brett raised an eyebrow and said, "And how long did it take you to think of that? Besides, I think it's taken." "Um, wait, what about Sunblaze?" "I like it." Brett said. "Lise?" "Hawk?" "Taken." "Well, I'm not gonna be something lame like a Robin. What about… Eagle?" "No." "Hey, what about Kestrel?" "Good. Now what about you two?" Brett asked, looking at Bart and Katie. Being eager to get on with this and get to Mumbo, Bart said the first name that popped into his head. "Manimal?" The bat's eyes widened, and he nodded his approval. Silently, Katie cursed out her brother for giving her less time. She racked her brain for a good name, not wanting to be called Blackbird or Crow or something obvious like that. Then finally, she got an idea. "Um how does Owl sound?" "Very nice. Marty, finish us up." "Fine. Metallix." "That's it?" "Yeah." He replied, in a tone that screamed that he wasn't going to change it. "Well all right then. Troops, to the city! TEEN TITANS, GO!" As the kids began to move towards the exits, hearing the old battle cry ring in their ears, Brett turned to the others and whispered, "I always wanted to say that."


	19. Teen Titans Version 2

Chap. 19

Teen Titans Version 2

Police are trained to deal with any and all types of crimes and disturbances. They are shown mentally and physically how to deal with criminals and their methods. Granted, in Jump City that definition of how to deal can vary considerably. In its heyday of crime, the city was home to a variety of criminals with many strange and devious methods. Some of those methods were terrifying in their scope and magnitude of evil. Others were simply strange and simple-minded, but no less effective in their means. But in the years since that heyday, most of those criminals have been imprisoned, reformed, or simply vanished. Understandably, with them gone the definition in crime in Jump City returned to what could be called 'normalcy.' But occasionally, the past is shown to us again in a blinding flash, to remind us of it's power and how it can truly affect the present. Right now, one of the past criminals was reminding the present police force of how much easier things were now then they had been.

"Well kiddies, looks like Fluffy is a bit too much for you." Mumbo cackled, as he watched his monster rabbit violently push the police force back. "But don't worry, I'll make him disappear. I still deserve my payment for the show though." Smiling, he held out his hat and with some effort, dropped the large bag of jewels on top of it. For a second the bag stayed there, looking like an overblown water balloon. But then there was a sucking noise from the hat, and the bag suddenly vanished into its depths. Returning the hat to his head, Mumbo blew a kiss to the captive police, and began to bound off, his prize in hand, or in this case, on head. "Oh, and I think Fluffy should stay with you a bit longer. He's such a problem to get into the hat." Mumbo yelled back as he gleefully made his escape.

But when he turned back to mock the police, Mumbo took his eyes off what was right in front of him. He turned around just in time to crush into the hard, blue form that hovered in the air before him. Mumbo fell back to earth, becoming tangled in his cape on the way down. Angrily, he got to his feet and near tore his cape through getting it off his head. But his anger became surprise and a bit of fear when he looked up and saw the armored Nightstalker floating above him. "Oh no, not you. I thought you were gone." The magician moaned. Indeed, the bat's appearance had been missed in the city, as the crowd that had been observing the robbery turned their full attention to the old hero. Even Fluffy and the police stopped what they were doing to watch the exchange. Nightstalker however, noticed none of it and focused only on Mumbo. "Well, you know how it is Mumbo. You never write, you never call, I wanted to see how you were doing. Funny, you weren't where I left you. Unhappy with jail?" the bat asked, as he floated back to the ground. "They simply don't appreciate a good show when they see it." Mumbo answered back. "Well don't worry. When you get back, I'm sure you can change their minds." Said Nightstalker, as he drew his sword, and began to advance on the evil magician.

However, Mumbo's sense of self-preservation overwhelmed his sense of surprise. Whipping out his arm, he drew forth an amazingly long scarf from his sleeve and sent it hurtling towards the bat. 'Stalker tried to slice through it with his sword, but each time he cut it, it simply pulled itself back together. Before the bat could formulate a new plan, the scarf wrapped around his arms and pulled them together, forcing his to drop his sword. But it didn't end there. The rest of the scarf then shot downward, wrapping his legs together and then pulled his backwards. 'Stalker fell to the ground, his arms and legs wrapped together as the scarf tied itself into a neat little bow. "Well it's been nice visiting with you again, but I can see you're all tied up." Mumbo sneered as 'Stalker struggled to free himself. The magician turned to leave, but again found himself walking into an armored figure. "Still using that old trick Mumbo?" Lightweaver asked, as she fired a blast of light at the magician, knocking him back.

As she advanced on the figure of Mumbo, 'Weaver turned the Lightblade towards the prone form of her husband and sliced through his bonds. With great haste, Nightstalker got to his feet and grabbed his sword. Joining Lightweaver, he said, "Let's not mention that to the others, shall we?" "Hey, you owe me now. Don't start making demands." 'Weaver answered back. "Now then Mumbo.." she said, turning back to the magician, or so she thought. But Mumbo had vanished. "Oh crap, please don't tell me he escaped." Nightstalker cried as the two of them looked around. "Well, I was going too, but if you really want an encore." Mumbo suddenly yelled from behind them. The two Knights whipped around to see Mumbo standing next to the massive, drooling form of Fluffy. "Sic 'em boy!" Mumbo yelled gesturing towards the Knights. The rabbit let out a mangled cry and took a huge leap in the air. The Knights quickly turned their weapons on the creature, but it twisted in mid-air, dodging the blasts easily. "Jesus Christ!" both Knights yelled, as it's huge shadow came down on them. They tried to run, but the rabbit landed on top of them, pinning them down. As it's teeth-filled mouth attempted to bite through the Knight's armor, they tried to beat it back. "Where's the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch when you need it?" 'Weaver cried, as she dodged another bite from the creature.

Mumbo laughed at his old foes' predicament, and then drew out another playing card from his sleeve. Pulling out his wand, he waved it over the card, yelled out the words, "Hocus-pocus!" then stepped back as the card grew to the length and width of a surfboard. Leaping on top of it, Mumbo rode the card through the air to make his escape. But he barely got a few feet off the ground when the card was suddenly bombarded by rocks that cut through its surface and caused it to wobble back to the earth. Leaping off the damaged card, Mumbo looked around for the source of the problem, only to see Terra standing in front of the crowd, more rocks floating around her. "Well, they're just coming out of the wood work today." Mumbo said. "We're not the only things." Terra said back, as she suddenly sent the rocks hurtling through the air towards Mumbo. But the magician just took his hat off his head and grasping its brim, widened it until it was big enough to catch all of the rocks within itself. Mumbo then shrank it back down, but pulled it out vertically until it was size of a cannon. Grinning, Mumbo slammed the back of the hat, causing the rocks to fly back out in a wave at Terra and the crowd.

But Terra didn't falter. She knew that she couldn't stop the rocks in time on her own. But that didn't mean that she couldn't use something else to do the job. Eyes glowing, Terra brought her arms up hard. As she did so, the ground began to rumble and shake, as it drew upward into a large shield that the rocks impacted harmlessly against. "Gee, I didn't think Slade trained you do that." Mumbo yelled back, as he readied the hat for another shot. "Yeah, but things change." The armored being called Groundquake said from behind the magician. Before Mumbo could turn, the Earth Knight suddenly brought his hammer around in an arc, forcing the hat out of Mumbo's hands and shooting it towards Terra. The girl caught it effortlessly, and bringing it around, she pointed it at Fluffy. "Hey ugly!" she yelled out causing the huge rabbit to turn to face her. "Time to go home!" she yelled, as a vacuum of air began to originate from the hat. Fluffy tried to resist, digging his paws into the ground. But it was all for naught, as the magic hat's power drew the huge rabbit back into it.

"Where do you armored freaks come from?" Mumbo yelled, as he drew out his wand and turned to face Groundquake. But before he could start to cast a spell, 'Quake grabbed his wrist and with a powerful grip, caused the magician to drop the wand. "Well, I'm from New York," the dog replied, looking straight into the magician's eyes. "But here's a trick from parts unknown." As Mumbo watched, the hand grabbing his wrist suddenly changed to stone, and then began to stretch out and grow until it was big enough to entrap his entire body. Groundquake lifted him upwards, just as his wrist began to stretch out as well, until Mumbo was suddenly hanging over the crowd, trapped within a giant stone fist.

"So tell me again how this guy was a handful?" the dog asked, as Terra and the others rejoined. "I would, but that's not him." Lightweaver said. "What are you talking about?" 'Quake asked. "For one thing, his body parts don't fall off." Nightstalker said. Groundquake looked up and saw that indeed, a pair of arms and a leg were falling down to the ground from his enclosed fist. "What the hell?" he muttered, as his stone fingers began to unclench. As the fist slowly opened up, the figure inside was revealed as…. "A doll?" Terra said in surprise, as the stuffed Mumbo doll inside the fist finished crumbling to dust. "But then where's the real Mumbo?"

But as Terra asked, the hat in her hand suddenly began to shake. Surprised, she dropped it. As the heroes watched, it righted itself on the ground and then, with a burst of confetti, Mumbo shot out of it. "Oldest trick in the book, kiddies!" he yelled as he suddenly pointed his wand at the group. "Abracadabra!" he yelled out, as a burst of magic shot out of his wand and hit them. There was a blinding flash, and when it vanished, the heroes found themselves…. Well, stuck. The ground beneath them had been changed into some kind of strange sticky substance, which their feet were firmly plastered to. "What in the hell is this?" Groundquake yelled, as he struggled to pull his feet out. "Still think he's a pushover?" Nightstalker asked, as he struggled to free himself as well.

"Well, unless there's somebody else who wants to take me on, I think I'll be going." Mumbo said, as he placed his hat back on his head. "Pity too. You four gave me more trouble then anyone has in years. It was almost like the old days. But I suppose I can't expect too much from three freaks and the fallen Titan." He said with a sneer. Turning around, Mumbo saw that the police force was starting to reorganize itself from the rabbit attack. "I believe it's my cue to exit. Thank you, you've been a lovely audience." But at that, Terra just smiled. "What's so funny?" Mumbo asked, knowing that the smile was probably a bad sign. "Who said we were your audience? Haven't you ever heard of a warm-up act?" "What are you talking about?" the magician snapped. "Let's just say the past has a funny way of coming back." Terra said. Before Mumbo could form a response, someone in the crowd yelled, "Look, up there! It's them!" "Can't be, they'd be too old!" "Well, who do you think it is? It has to be them. They're back! They're really back!" A chill went down Mumbo's spine, as he realized what was happening. Slowly he turned and looked at the rooftop that had captivated the crowd's attention. A rooftop on which, five figures stood tall, outlined in the sunlight…..

Sorry guys, but you'll just have to wait a bit longer. Don't worry, it'll be totally worth it.


	20. The New Titans

Well guys, you've been patient, and now it's time for it to pay off. Here it is, the debut of the New Teen Titans in battle. It's a long one, so read, review and enjoy!

Chap. 20

The New Titans

_20 minutes ago….._

_The group of heroes sped through the skies, trying to reach the city as quickly as possible. "You guys alright back there?" Terra yelled from her rock platform. Since Kestrel and Metallix were unable to fly, Terra had created a separate platform for them, which she carried along with her as she flew. "We'd be a lot better if this thing wasn't pushing 90!" Metallix yelled back. Indeed, the speed of travel had forced the two passengers flat on their stomachs, holding on as best they could. "Sorry, we're in a hurry here." Terra replied. "Just hang on!" "Oh great." The steel teen muttered, as the rock continued to speed forth. Kestrel however, was having a discernibly different reaction to the ride. Though she was gripping onto the rock as tightly as Metallix was, Kestrel's eyes were alight with excitement. "This is awesome!" she yelled out over the winds. "Hey, can this thing do a loop?" "Do you **want** me to vomit all over you?" Metallix snapped back. "Hey it's not my fault I can handle a little fun." She said back. "We're barely holding onto a huge flying rock that's speeding across the bay at almost 100 miles an hour. This is what you call fun!" "Yeah, what do you call it?" "I call it suicide!" Metallix yelled back. "Why did I agree to do this?" he began to moan as the platform continued to speed._

_But luckily for the steel teen, the platform began to rapidly slow. "Oh thank God." He murmured aloud as the platform slowly came to a halt over a midtown rooftop. As it landed behind the large billboard in the front, Terra and Kestrel hopped off, but Metallix stayed, hoping for recovery time. However, he didn't have much time to recover before something suddenly pulled him off in a heap. "Do you mind?" he snarled up at Kestrel. "Actually no. Would you like a barf bag?" the masked Titan asked. "Quiet." Nightstalker said, as he and most of the others landed down, behind the shadow of the billboard. "Do you want them to hear you?" "I thought that was what we're here for." Manimal asked. "Not just yet." The bat replied, as he carefully took a peak at the streets in front of them. Just as he'd thought, Mumbo was there gloating over the failed efforts of the police. "Idiot." 'Stalker muttered. Turning back to the others, he said, "OK Mumbo thinks he's got a clean getaway. Let's prove him wrong." "All right!" Kestrel said, as she moved to go past the billboard._

_But Lightweaver just reached over and pulled her back. "What are you doing?" Kestrel protested. "You will get your chance, but first we need to put a little fear into him." "What are you talking about?" At that, Groundquake took over. "Simple. Mumbo has no idea who you are. He hasn't heard the Titans name in years. But if the first thing he sees is a bunch of kids in different costumes, he'll think it's a joke." "OK, and your point is?" Manimal asked, eager to have his first real battle. "What he's saying," Terra interjected. "is seeing his old enemies come back, and **then, **a new team that they know about, he'll realize that you've had someone showing you the ropes; that you do know what you're doing. He'll probably wet himself, old as he is now." At that, Owl, Manimal, and Sunblaze nodded, seeing the wisdom and drama of the idea. Metallix didn't really seem to care, but Kestrel still wanted the direct approach. "That's stupid. Why don't we just jump down and beat the hell out of him?" "Because he'll be more scared of the Teen Titans then a bunch of super-powered kids. And besides, we do not 'beat the crap' out of anyone, unless we have to. You'd do well to remember that." Nightstalker said._

_Suddenly there was commotion from the crowd behind them. Nightstalker quickly looked over again to see Mumbo beginning to bound away from the crowd. "We have to move fast." He said. "I'll go first, and the other Elementals will follow, one at a time. When Terra says 'warm-up act' that's when you come out." With that, the bat unfurled his wings and flew out to intercept Mumbo, while the others waited for the plan to unfold. "I still say this is stupid." Kestrel muttered. "Jeez, do you have any concern for drama?" 'Weaver asked. " Brucie would be shamed." "Who are you talking about?" Kestrel snapped back. "Nothing." Weaver answered, but as she turned back to the crowd, she muttered, "They told you **nothing."** _

_Now…._

"You know, I think he might've been right." Sunblaze said, looking down on the crowd with disbelief in his eyes. From the second they had emerged from behind the billboard, people had begun to chant and speak as though gods were returning. Some were staring in awe, others were simply pointing. And Mumbo, well, he just looked terrified. "Guess you'll be staying around a bit longer then, huh?" Groundquake sneered from behind the evil magician. But upon hearing those words, Mumbo's sense of self-preservation once again overtook his fear. "So what? I took on the old Titans, I can take on these pretenders!" he said, as he pointed his wand over at the billboard behind the New Titans. Before any of them could do anything, the metal suddenly began to curve inwards, trying to wrap them up in itself. But it didn't get too far, as Metallix stepped to the front and putting his arms to the side, he stretched them out, until he was pressing against both sides of the collapsing billboard. As he strained against the pressure, the other Titans quickly took the chance and leapt to the streets to face Mumbo. Once the others were safely down, Metallix released his hold on the board and leapt down as it finished the job of collapsing on itself. He landed with a huge thud that shook the ground, and as the team stood in front of Mumbo, he said, "Hope you got better then that old man."

"Oh I'm just getting warmed up." Mumbo sneered, as he held up his wrists and pointed them at the group. Huge cards began to fly out at a whirlwind rate, coming towards the group like dual battering rams. But again, this proved a weak attempt. Kestrel and Sunblaze began to slash and burn through the cards respectively, while the others tried to get past them and attack Mumbo directly. However, if the Titans could adapt, so could Mumbo. The cards began to separate and reform themselves into card-fighter beings reminiscent of the brooms in _Fantasia_. "Well, this just gets better and better." Metallix said, as he looked out at the huge army of cards facing them. "I know, isn't it great?" Manimal said gleefully, as he morphed into a tiger and launched himself into the cards, biting and tearing all the while. Metallix just shook his head and said to Owl, "Does he have brain damage, or is he always like this?" "What do you think?" she replied, as she hovered into the air and eyes glowing, began to hurl cars and the like into the cards' midst, cutting huge numbers of them down in an instant. "Damn, I gotta stay on her good side." Metallix muttered, as he reshaped his hands into dual sonic cannons and began to add to the firefight.

Meanwhile, Sunblaze and Kestrel were attempting to force their way to Mumbo, but the cards were proving to be equal fighters. For every three that they were able to take down, two more took their place. "This isn't working! We need some help!" Sunblaze yelled as he took down two more cards. "Or we need to go after the head! You free the Knights, I'll go after Mumbo. I'll give you a distraction." "Like what?" Sunblaze asked, but then he saw his sister throw a card into the ranks. Of course, that card was somehow on fire. "How does she do that?" he wondered, as he flew off in the direction of the trapped Knights.

"This seems to be going well." Groundquake said, as Sunblaze came up to them. Pointing his finger down at the ground, Sunblaze fire a concentrated beam of energy around the captive Knight's feet. "Hey careful!" the dog yelled, as the energy ate away at the goo. "Oh don't be a baby." Sunblaze muttered as he maneuvered around the dog's foot. Finally, he finished and with a crack, 'Quake pulled himself free. "Nice job hothead." The dog replied. "Thanks. Now you think you can help them out?" he asked back, pointing at the struggling figures of Metallix, Manimal, and Owl. "No problem. Just hurry up." 'Quake replied as he drew his hammer and leapt into the fray.

It was one where he was needed too. The cards seemed to multiply as fast as the kids could cut them down. Powerful or not, they were starting to get tired from lack of stamina. "Doesn't this deck ever end?" Metallix swore, as he changed his hand into a scythe and slashed through another group of attacking cards. "They're just cards. It can't be that hard." Owl said, as she threw out another bolt of magic, blasting an attacking ace into a nearby building. "I think he begs to differ." The steel Titan said, pointing towards Manimal, now in the form of a stegosaurus. Even though the motion of his huge body was scattering the cards to the four winds, Manimal was finding himself surrounded. Panic gripped Owl's heart, as she watched the cards begin to force the massive dino down to the ground. The young empath quickly began to look around, trying to find something that she use against the cards before they completely covered her brother. Metallix tried to stretch over and help, but he was becoming trapped himself.

Thankfully, something else was able to act, as the speeding hammer blasted through the air and slammed most of the cards off. Then, with a howl echoing through the air, Groundquake leapt through the air, his body already lengthening itself with earth. The dog-Knight soon stood on long stone legs that let him tower over the form of Manimal. His hands, also lengthened, swiftly stretched down and began to pick the cards off. They began to swarm around his body, hoping to pull him down. But before the cards could even start, the ground below their feet suddenly rose up on either side and suddenly smashed together, trapping the cards inside. 'Quake looked over to see Terra, freed from the goo, eyes glowing as she brought the earth up to defend. "That's my girl!" 'Quake yelled happily, as he finished pulling the cards off of Manimal. Owl, throwing the last of the cards near her down, hovered back down to the ground, sighing in relief that her brother was safe.

But then again, relief does disappear fairly quickly. Suddenly, Owl felt something grab her ankle and pull her back. The empath fell to the ground, hitting hard. She pulled herself up, trying to see what was attacking. As the attacker entered her field of vision, she saw that it was a rogue king. The card was standing upright, which was bad enough, but it also had a large sword in its hand. "Owl!" Manimal screamed, as he and the others began to move towards her. But before they got anywhere, the remains of the fallen cards suddenly began to pull themselves together in some huge shape. Before any of them could do anything, the cards had become a massive wall, stretching the width of the street and preventing access. The king saw this, and as it turned back to Owl, its face twisted in an evil grin. As it raised its sword up, Owl tried to bring up a magic shield, but in her panic, her powers kept shorting out. For a second, Owl thought that her superhero career was over before it really began. However, there was suddenly a brief spark, and then the king was awash in green flame. It struggled backwards, trying to extinguish itself, but the flames did their work swiftly and the card turned to ash within a minute. As the wind swiftly blew the remains away, Owl got to her feet and wondered what had just happened.

"You ok?" a voice asked from behind her. The empath turned in a whirl, to see Sunblaze land in front of her. "That was you?" she asked, putting everything together. "Of course. I couldn't let that thing hurt you." Sunblaze answered back. "Huh? Oh um, really?" Owl nervously muttered out. Obliviously, the young boy continued. "Yeah, I don't let anyone hurt my friends, and we are friends, aren't we?" "Well, yeah, at least." Owl said, though her voice seemed a bit belated to say so. Sunblaze would've said more, but then there was a scream of rage from the other side of the wall. "Sounds like Kestrel's having fun. Come on." He said, as he took off over the wall. Owl followed, but as she flew, she muttered, "Friends. That's still all it is?"

Meanwhile, Kestrel had been swiftly making her way through the army of cards and getting closer to Mumbo(battle-lust does have that wonderful effect). "Don't you have any real tricks?" she yelled out as she sliced through the last of his cards. "Come and see little girl." Mumbo sneered. Eyes narrowing, Kestrel leapt into the air, trying to crash into Mumbo. But before she could, Mumbo suddenly whipped his hat off and pointing at her, blasted Fluffy out like a cannonball. Kestrel's eyes widened in horror and she tried to change her flight path, but it was too late. The huge rabbit collided into her and landed on the ground, pressing her down with his huge body. "Aww, did my little Fluffy hurt you?" Mumbo asked as he walked up to his pet. "Well, I guess this should teach you a lesson. Little girls shouldn't play with dangerous animals, or pretend to be real heroes."

But as those words hung in the air, Mumbo realized that he might have made a mistake. Fluffy's monstrous form was beginning to bounce up and down on the ground, as Kestrel began to struggle harder. She began to pull her legs underneath the rabbits huge body, and then when they were finally under him, Kestrel suddenly shot them upwards with all her strength, pushing the monster into a backwards spin that ended with the creature on his back. Kestrel flipped back to her feet, and even thought most of her face was covered, Mumbo saw an anger in her eyes that made him feel more then a bit of fear. The young hero unsheathed her talons and with a wild battle cry, leapt towards the evil magician. Mumbo whipped off his hat, perhaps hoping to trap her inside, as he had once done to her parents. But a truly good trick only works once, and this was no exception. Before Mumbo could get the hat into position, Kestrel turned her run into a slide through his legs. As she came to a stop behind him, Mumbo turned and saw that she had had one taloned finger outstretched during the slide. Suddenly, the hat split in two in his hands. "Oh damn." He swore as he looked at his ruined hat.

But before he could do anything about it, a fist suddenly careened into his face knocking him back and breaking a few teeth. The attack didn't end there, as Kestrel pulled her foe back and drove her knee into his gut. Then as Mumbo fell to his knees clutching both stomach and jaw, Kestrel whirled around in the air and delivered a devastating spin-kick to his face, knocking him to the ground. As Mumbo hit, the impact jarred something from inside his jacket onto the ground. Mumbo tried to move his pain-wracked body to it, but before his hand could grasp it, a green-gloved one picked it up. "Looking for something Mumbo?" Kestrel sneered, as she held the magic wand in both hands. Mumbo weakly gestured for it, but Kestrel wrapped both hands around it and snapped it in half. Mumbo's swollen eyes began to weep, as his hat and Fluffy vanished, his blue skin returned to normal, and the bags of jewels returned from their magical hiding place.

"At least there's one good thing that you can do in jail." Kestrel said, as she pulled Mumbo in close. "You can spread the word that the Teen Titans are back." "Even if I can't talk.' Mumbo blubbered, gesturing to the bruises already forming on his face. "True, but I think it needs more." Kestrel said menacingly. "You know, when I was a kid, I always liked Zorro. Let's see if I can make a T on you." She said, as one taloned hand reached out towards the magician's terrified face. Kestrel's face gave every impression of going through with it, and she would have, if an armored hand had not grabbed her wrist. She looked over to see Nightstalker holding her arm and the others behind him. "This is _not_ how we do things." The bat said angrily. "Well, it's how I do them." Kestrel snapped back, pulling her arm away. "I don't care. As long as you are on this team, you will work within our rules, whether you agree or not. And you _will_ control your temper." "And how are you gonna make me do that?" Kestrel asked. That actually seemed to stump the bat. "We're going to have a long talk." Was all he said. Of course, the fact the police were approaching could have also had some to do with his silence. "Not a word of this." The bat whispered, as he grabbed Mumbo and turned to face the cops. "I think this belongs to you." He said, holding out Mumbo like a bundle of clothes. The cops nodded wordlessly, too in awe to say much. Taking Mumbo back, they handcuffed him and led him away.

"Well, at least they still appreciate the things we did back in the day." 'Stalker said to Lightweaver. "They're not the only ones." The fox replied, pointing to the crowd. The people were cheering the Titans as if they were returning rock gods. The applause was close to deafening. "Did our parents have to deal with this?" Owl wondered as she looked out at the crowd. "Not really, but we were here all the time. You guys are the first to wear the Titans brand in years. These is probably one of the best things these people will ever see." Terra said. The crowd was definitely acting like it was, but the question remained as to whether or not their heroes could handle it. Most of the Titans seemed to be shell-shocked by the applause. Even Metallix seemed to be amazed by the love of the crowd. Frankly, they probably would've stayed like that for the rest of the day, had not the Knights taken charge. Moving to the sides of the Titans, they took the stunned heroes' hands and raised them high in the air, in a gesture of victory and unity. The crowd roared louder then ever, and the Titans seemed to realize how much fun it was to be praised, as most of them began to smile. But no matter how many people cheered, Nightstalker didn't take his eyes off Kestrel.


	21. Parents' Meeting

Chap. 21

Parents' Meeting

After that, I think we can guess what happened. The crowd was in joyous disbelief at seeing a new breed of Titans and some returning heroes. But more important then that, the group found itself marked by the news crews that had come to report on the robbery. Not that they could be blamed; after all, the return of the Titans is a story that every reporter in the world would want to get on celluloid. But it was not one that the new heroes were prepared for. The Titans felt trapped almost instantly. The love of a crowd can be dealt with, but not the empty love of a camera lens or a microphone. But thankfully, some of the group had faced down demons, monsters, and vicious psychopaths. A few reporters just didn't seem too bad. Lightweaver, Terra, and Nightstalker, being the returning heroes, quickly stepped up and tried to calm the crowd. "Listen! We'll talk if you just calm down! Please, let us speak!" Lightweaver implored, holding out her hands in an effort to calm the masses. Somehow, it seemed to work, as the crowd almost instantly hushed. "That's better." The fox said, as behind her, 'Quake's huge, angry, stone face returned to normal.

"Do you guys want to speak?" 'Stalker whispered to the young heroes. The response was a unanimous shake of the head no. "Probably not a bad idea." The bat agreed. Turning back to the crowd, the bat, looking every inch a seasoned warrior in his armor began to speak in a booming voice. "Listen, people of Jump City!" he cried, his voice reaching every corner of the street. "We have only two things to say. First, that yes we are the Titans. Secondly, …. WE'RE BACK!" That got tremendous applause. "Always knows how to milk it." Groundquake whispered. "Yeah, but he does it well, doesn't he?" Lightweaver asked. Of course, Nightstalker didn't have much response on the matter, since he had to deal with the reporters that began to surge forward. "Nightstalker, why'd you come back now?" one of them asked. "Where did these new Titans come from?" asked another. "Who are they?" "One at a time please!" the bat pleaded. "I can't answer your first two questions, but I can answer the last one. Allow me to present the new Titans." He said, gesturing for the kids, Terra, and Groundquake to come to forth. One by one, he introduced them to the crowd, although they were more then a little nervous because of it. Except for Quake, he was just miffed at being introduced as Nighstalker's 'little brother.' But none were more nervous then Terra. After all, most of these people would be likely to remember her past. But as she came to the front, the crowd cheered just as hard as they had for the other Titans. For her part, Terra waved back enthusiastically. "Now then, we have other matters to deal with." 'Stalker said, coming to the front again. "However, I want to say this to all of you and the criminals that are seeing this right now. Jump City officially has its guardians back. Get ready for it."

As the crowd applauded one last time, the bat gave nodded to his wife. "Let's go home." Lightweaver said, as the group was suddenly encased in light and then vanished.

A split-second later, there was a flash of light inside Titans Tower and the group reappeared. "Man, I don't know how Mom and Dad gave that up." Sunblaze said. But before anyone could say anything, Robin's voice said, "Actually, after ten years, it gets easier." The group whipped around, to see the old Titans standing by the door. "How'd you guys get here?" Martin said, as he changed back to normal. "I made a few calls after you guys left." Cyborg left. "OK, but how do you know how we did?" Bart asked. "You guys made the news." Beast Boy replied. "And I have to say, it was a shock Dad." Raven said pointedly. "I didn't expect to see my kids in the line of fire after only a month and a half of training."

At that, Brett quickly began to defend himself. "Rae, I didn't send them out alone, ok? And I think they did pretty damn well on their own, don't you?" "You want to know what I really think?" Raven said, anger beginning to cloud her face. "I totally agree." "Yeah, well they're gonna have to do this soon and I don't need you coddling them every time…" "Brett." Terra said. "What? I was just…. Oh wait… I just made a fool of myself didn't I?" the bat realized. "Actually, I think our daughter made a fool of you." Sara said. "I taught her well." The fox added, as both mother and daughter smiled. "So.. you guys aren't mad?" Bart asked. "Maybe a little bit, but you guys handled yourselves quite well out there." Robin said. "And Brett's right, you will have to do this on your own, and better you start against Mumbo with your teachers behind you then alone against Slade." "Well, that's good to hear." Eddie said. "The last thing I want to have to do is watch a bonehead argument over this crap. Now then, I think there is one question that we need to answer." The dog paused for a moment, and then said, "Do you guys want to stay for celebratory beer or what?" "Sounds good to me." Martin said. "Nice try." Jinx said. As the group made their way to the fridge, Robin asked Brett, "Just like the old days, eh?" "More or less." The bat agreed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. After all, your training can never make Lisa as good as me."

"Actually, I'd like to talk to you two about that." Brett said. "Do you think we could step outside for a moment?" "Of course." Starfire said, as she and Robin followed the bat to the outside. Once there, Brett quickly shut the door. "What did you guys see on that news report?" he asked. "Well, you and the kids fighting Mumbo. But I take it there was something we didn't see?" Robin asked. "Apparently they decided that airing footage of Lisa threatening to carve Mumbo's face up was too much for the six o'clock news." The bat said. "What?" Star cried in surprise. "It's true. I found her threatening to send Mumbo back to jail with a T carved into his face as a warning. I was lucky I could stop her in time." "It looks like its time I give that girl a real talk." Robin said angrily, as he moved back to the door. But before he could even grasp the knob, Brett grabbed his arm. "I don't think that's what we need here." The bat said.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked, as Brett loosened his grip. "Look Rob, she's got a temper, I think we'll all agree on that." Both parents nodded, so the bat continued. "If you guys haven't been able to control it in thirteen years, you're not going to do it in a month and a half." "So then you plan to do it?" Star asked. But the bat shook his head. "I could probably do it with more time, but we don't have it. What she needs now, is someone that she can respect, and I'll be honest, fear. She respects you two, the others, and me but that won't mean shit once that battle-lust comes up. Someone she fears can cut through it, make her stay focused and use her anger the right way." Both mother and father nodded in agreement. "Do you have anyone in mind?" Star asked. But the bat's response was to silently stare at Robin.

Thankfully, the former boy wonder got it immediately. "Oh, _that's_ what you want." He said suddenly. "Do you think you can get it to work?" Brett asked. "It might take a few days to set up, but I think it can happen." "Good, but I want to come with you. I am still her teacher, I want to see how this works." "You know how things are with this." Robin said. "But you know I can be trusted." Brett said. Robin seemed to think a minute more then said, "OK, I'll see if it will work." Robin said. "It has too." Brett said. "If it doesn't, I don't know if I can take her out into the field again." You really think it's that bad?" Starfire asked. "Star, this thing is a real danger. Today she tried to carve up somebody's face. I'm worried about what she might do next. When she gets angry, she totally focuses on it and nothing else. That's when people make mistakes. And in this job, those kinds of mistakes can mean lives. She needs to understand that, and I'm afraid if we don't deal with it, she'll learn it first hand." Star paled a bit at that. "If that is really what you think." The bat nodded. "I'll start setting it up tomorrow." Robin said. "Good. I was going to give them off because of the battle then anyway, so you can tell her about the new training.." Brett said. "Just be sure that you don't tell her exactly what this is. If she knows, she'll be able to deal with the fear." Robin nodded, and the three off them walked back inside.


	22. Into the Dark

Chap. 22

Into the Dark

The (old) Titans stayed at the Tower for a long while, enjoying the celebratory beer and talking about what had happened. The kids were of course, happy to listen to their parents talk about their successes. Martin especially enjoyed hearing about his efforts from his parents. It was a marked contrast to the reluctance the boy had shown before. But like everything else in life, the endless praise came to an end, when the Titans decided it was time to go home. True to his word, Brett gave the kids the next day off as a reward for their mostly excellent first battle. The Titans, old and new, went home that day feeling proud of themselves and each other. That night, each of the New Titans went home feeling as though they could take on the world. Except for one.

While her friends effortlessly entered sleep, dreaming of their next accomplishment, Katie sat up in her bed, thinking about what had happened today. But instead of the battle, she was focusing on her talk with Rivers. "Friend? I'm just his friend?" she muttered, as if the word had some new meaning she was still comprehending. "Am I just kidding myself? He probably doesn't even notice anything about me." She wondered sadly. "I guess I am just fooling myself. He probably already likes some other girl. I should just forget about him." But then she shook her head. "No, I can't. Maybe I should just be his friend. It's probably the best I can hope for." Katie would have continued in this vein, but suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Is everything ok?" Raven asked from outside the door. "Sure." Katie answered, trying to act as though it was true. "Honey, I'm an empath. You really can't hide your problems from me." Raven said. "Something's wrong, do you want to talk about it?" Katie started to say something else, then just shrugged and said, "Sure, why not?" With that, Raven opened the door and walked over to her daughter's bed. Sitting down on the end, she asked, "Now what's wrong? Was it the battle today?" "Kinda." Katie said, as she stared down at her bed sheets. "OK, what does kinda mean?" Raven asked. "Well, there was this point where I was gonna get impaled by this card." "And that's what scaring you? If it's that, I can help you deal with it." Raven said. "No, no, it's not that I'm afraid. But what happened was that before I got hurt, Rivers came down and he destroyed the card. I said thanks, and then he said that he'd always help his friends."

"And that's a problem? You are his friend." Raven said. "I know, and I'm glad, but I…well…." Katie murmured, not really wanting to say what was really on her mind. But sometimes, our parents can see into our minds, regardless of superpowers. "Do you want to be more then friends?" Raven asked. Katie still didn't give an answer, but that just made it obvious. Raven smiled and said, "Have you told him about this?" "What? Of course not!" Katie said, her head popping back up. "I mean, I don't even know if he feels the same way." "Well honey, he isn't going to just come up to you and say it." Raven said. "I know that this isn't easy. I mean, I didn't even notice that your father was in love with me." "Really?" Katie asked. "Totally. When I finally got past Trigon, I didn't know anything about love. I was happy that I finally had your grandparents, but I wanted someone else that would love me as a partner. But I didn't know anything about how to get it; I was just waiting for it to fall into my lap. It led to some serious problems, I can tell you that."

"So what did you do?" Katie asked. "Your dad got hurt one day on a mission protecting me. That's when I realized how much he cared about me. He was unconscious in the hospital for a few hours, and when he finally woke up, we sat down and talked. Then I kissed him." "No way!" Katie said with a grin. "Yeah." Raven said back. "It all just grew from that." "Do you think that we can put Rivers in the hospital then?" Katie asked. "Too easy. Besides, if he does feel the same about you, he'll do something about it sooner or later. But there's nothing wrong with trying to make him act a little bit sooner. Just be careful." "Mom!" "Well I do have to say these things you know." Raven said. Katie just shook her head and said, "Thanks Mom." "Anytime honey. Now get some sleep." Raven said, as she leaned over and kissed her daughter on the forehead. Katie smirked a bit, and then buried herself under the covers as Raven walked to the door and shut off the light. As the empath shut the door, she looked back and shook her head. "He probably doesn't even realize it, if he's anything like Robin and Star. You'd better be willing to work on him, Catherine."

_A few days later…._

"Are we there yet?" Lisa moaned for at least the fifth time. "What do you think?" Robin asked his daughter as the landscape continued to move around them. Or should I say, under them. Robin and Lisa were currently zooming over the countryside at 150 mph and 20,000 feet. Neither of them had a pilot's license, but it didn't matter because they weren't in a plane and they weren't flying the vehicle involved. Brett had made a few calls the day after the battle and after speaking with Bart Simpson and the rest of the WILDB.R.A.T.S, he'd regained possession of the old BRAT-Mobile, which was currently flying them across the country in it's flight mode. The guys had been keeping it in the old HQ back in Springfield, and after hearing about the New Titans, they'd been more then happy to give them some help. "Hey, everybody needs a cool ride." Bart had said. The BRATS had also been sure to keep the car in good condition, so Brett had been able to get behind the wheel again quite easily. It was a good thing too, because the fastest of the Titans wouldn't have been able to make this trip in less then six hours, and the T-Ship and T-Car were still being rebuilt by Cyborg.

"I still don't see why we need to go all this way for some stupid training." Lisa grumbled. "We wouldn't have to if you could control yourself." Brett said. "Hey, I stopped him didn't I?" Lisa snapped. Robin sighed and said, "Lisa, for the millionth time, it doesn't matter. Stopping the bad guys is less important then what we do with them. We have to treat them fairly, not use them for 'warnings." "Why? They're supervillians, they're not in pre-K." Lisa muttered. "I don't care!" Robin yelled back. "Just because they're evil does not mean we sink to their level! What you did was what Mumbo would have if roles were reversed. Do you want to be like that?" Lisa didn't give an answer, but just sank further down in her seat.

Sighing, Robin pressed the button on the side door and pulled the front side window back up. "Where did this come from?" he muttered as he looked back out at the landscape. "Definitely not Star. Maybe you and Blackfire?" Brett suggested as he steered through the clouds. "I mean, she was definitely P.O.'d 24-7, and you… well you could get pretty intense Rob." "Yeah but I always knew what was too far." Robin said. "She doesn't seem to care." "Lisa just needs control. And if this doesn't work, you know that nothing else will." Brett said. "That's what worries me." Robin said. He would've said more, but then a button on the control panel began to glow. "Ah we're here.' The bat said. "Thank God for the GPS system." Rolling back the window, he yelled, "Hey Lise, we're here." "Finally." Was the sullen reply. "Oh this will be fun." Robin said.

As the super-car began its decent through the clouds, Lisa looked down through the window, trying to see where she was going. She knew it had to be important, if Brett and her Dad were willing to fly across the country to the outskirts of Gotham. Supposedly, there was some trainer here for her. Lisa only had a couple of ideas, but she knew that it couldn't be him. He was an urban legend, and if he was real, a founding member of the Justice League. He would have better things to do anyway. She didn't really care about the trip; she just wanted to know who the hell was supposed to train her. Better yet, what sort of training it was. God, what if this was some kind of superhero shrink? The last thing that she wanted was to sit on a couch and talk about her feelings. "Naw, even they're not that lame." She whispered as the clouds began to part. Lisa finally got a good look at the place they were headed.

Amazingly, it looked like an old mansion on the top of a hill near the ocean. The BRAT-Mobile swung by the back of the house, landing in the back area. The car returned to it's normal form, and the three passengers departed. "Place hasn't changed a bit." Robin said, as he looked over the mansion. "Well, you know how important redecorating is around here." A voice said from the patio. The group looked over to see somebody standing by the patio door. He was an older man dressed in a tuxedo, balding, but projecting an air of quiet dignity. "Alfred!" Robin said happily as he ran over to the old man. Smiling, the man gave Robin a strong hug. "It's good to see you too, Master Dick." Alfred said as Brett and Lisa walked up to them. Breaking their embrace, Alfred said, "And I see this is the esteemed Nightstalker." "Please, call me Brett." The bat said. "Rob's told me a lot about you. I'm quite impressed." "Ah. Master Bruce has told me quite a bit about you as well. Most inspiring. And this must be Ms. Lisa. A pleasure." Alfred said, as he took the girl's hand and delivered a light kiss to it.

"Um, thanks." Lisa said, unused to the attention. "If you don't mind, how do you know my dad and Brett?" "Why, I helped to raise Master Dick." Alfred said. "After his parents' death, he was taken in as Master Bruce's ward. He spent many eventful years here, before taking off on his own." "And I did pretty well, didn't I?" Robin said. "Wait a minute." Lisa said. "If this is that Alfred you told me about, then is this is Bruce Wayne's house? Why are we here? I don't think a soft millionaire is gonna train me very well." At that, all three men just smiled. "Follow me my dear, I think I can give you an answer." Alfred said, as he walked back inside the mansion.

The group followed the old butler inside, as Lisa gaped at the hugeness of the mansion. The main room alone seemed to be the size of her house! "I can't believe you left here, Dad." She said as she looked around. "It's not as hard as you think." Rob answered. "Ah here we are." Alfred said as he stopped in front of a grandfather clock. Reaching over to the clock face, the butler set the hands to a certain time. Suddenly there was a click from behind the clock, and it suddenly pulled away, revealing a doorway that stretched down into what looked like a cave. "Shall we?" the butler said, as he walked down. Robin followed him, and Brett began to follow, only to notice that Lisa was just staring. "You coming?" he asked. "Huh? Oh sure. Hey, how does Alfred know about you? I mean, I thought Dad was Robin in secret." "He was, but there's a lot of other secrets too." Brett said simply, as he continued down the stairs. Lisa quickly followed.

The stairs did indeed lead down into a cave, one that seemed to stretch for miles. As the group traveled down, Lisa noticed the system of lights that was strung along the walls. This place had been in use for a long time, that much was obvious. As to who used it, well Lisa was starting to rethink her theories. Suddenly, there was a screeching noise from above, and a pack of bats suddenly flew past. The others paid no mind, but Lisa leapt back in fear. They flew up from the cave, swarming around her and generally freaking her out. But then Brett turned and let out a series of strange, high-pitched shrieks. Almost instantly, the bats flew back down the stairway. "You never really forget your native tongue." Bret said, as Lisa looked at him with surprise. "Don't worry, you get used to them." Robin said, as they continued to walk. Lisa shivered but kept walking. Finally, the group reached their end. The long stair way exploded into a gigantic cavern, laced with computers and equipment. Lisa looked around in amazement and even Brett look surprised. But then she saw something that took her breath away. Sitting in front of the huge computer view screen, typing away was a man, wearing a long black cape. The man typed for a moment more, then stopped and got up. Turning around, Lisa saw his face. Bruce Wayne had been lucky; at fifty plus, the only sign of age was a couple of gray streaks near his temples. Some said this was due to exercise, other said it was his stress less nights. But what Lisa saw gave her a much clearer answer; the bat symbol on his black and gray costume.


	23. Dark Knight and Spider's Bite

HAHA! FIFTY PLUS REVIEWS!WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! WHOOOOOOOOO! I LOVE YOU PEOPLE! WHOOOOOOOO!

Chap. 23

Dark Knight and Spider's Bite

"Oh my God." Lisa whispered as the man in the chair came into view. She'd been wrong; it really was him. Until she'd known about her parents, she'd been like most people when it came to Batman. Most thought him an urban legend, a story made famous by the Gotham P.D. and their commissioner. Even the Justice League didn't acknowledge him totally. But there he was, standing right in front of her; the Batman. Yes, that was what he should be called. Even now, with his mask down and his face exposed, it seemed best to call him Batman. As he walked up to the group, Lisa stared in awe. The dark figure nodded to the others, then looked down at the girl. For a moment, he stood silent, then said, "You can close your mouth now."

"Huh? Oh sure." Lisa stammered as she did just that. "It's just… well, I didn't…, I didn't think you were…. Real." At that, Batman actually gave a small grin. "Then I've been doing my job." Turning back to Robin and the others, Batman asked, "You sure that we can trust him?" "I'm sure Bruce. He's kept a lot of secrets over the years." Robin replied. "You have no idea, Brucie." Brett added, looking at the Batman dead in the eye. "Besides, I don't think anyone would let me tell them. They usually go for the torches first." "Point." Batman agreed. "I've heard a lot about you, Nightstalker. It's quite impressive." "And I of you. You're a compliment to your species Wayne."

Batman nodded, and then turned his attention back to Lisa. "Now then, can we trust you?" he asked the girl. "What? Oh, of course." Lisa answered. "I'll keep your secret, I mean, who'd believe me?" "You'd be surprised." Alfred replied. But Batman took no notice. "Robin's told me quite a bit about you Lisa. If I'm going to train you, I need to know that I can trust you. Not just to keep my secret, but to obey me. What I'm going to have you do will require total discipline, total obedience. You will not refuse an order; if you do, it's over. I will take everything you have, and then force you to give more. That is what I need from all my students. That is what I cannot train without. Do you accept it?"

Lisa was silent a moment. When Brett had given his training speech, he had spoken in a gruff, authoritative tone that demanded respect and obedience. Batman had spoken in a calm, nearly monotone voice, sounding as though his blood pressure was permanently low. Yet that calm voice spoke of that same obedience and respect, but did not demand it. Instead, it stated that it was a response to be given as though it were as automatic as taking a breath. But Lisa knew her answer. "I promise." She answered. Batman nodded, and reached behind his head. With a quick motion, he pulled his cowl over his head and the costume became complete. "Then we begin."

As Lisa was beginning her new lessons, across the country in Jump City, her friends were continuing theirs'. The difference however, was that their lesson had been started the day they had fought Mumbo. Since then, it seemed every single criminal, experienced and wannabe had jumped out of the sewers and woodwork to take them on. Right now, in fact, they were taking on a new generation of an old foe. "See how you like this, Birdy!" the arachnid-girl sneered, as she spit a lob of gray goo at the hawk flying towards her. The bird tried to avoid it, but the goo splattered all over him, knocking him back to the ground. "Dude, this is disgusting _and_ embarrassing. I can't be stopped by a loogie!" Manimal cried as he reverted to human form. "Believe me, it could be worse." Lightweaver said, as she cut through the goo pinning her grandson to the ground.

"Metallix! Try to tie up her legs!" Terra yelled, as she hurled a large chunk of earth at the villaness. But the arachnid-girl simply leapt over it. "Nice try." She sneered as she whipped around and trapped Metallix in another loogie. Terra's eyes narrowed as she eyed her foe. To be specific, that foe was Claw, the daughter of Kitty and Fang. As disturbing as that idea was to picture, it was worse to see. Claw's lower body was that of a huge spider, complete with eight hairy, disgusting legs. Her upper body was fairly normal, except for her clawed hands and spider-face, framed by blond hair. But the girl knew how to use her strange body well, as Terra was finding out. The earth-mover was simply unable to get a steady bead on her foe. Claw was like a rubber ball, bouncing around at an unbelievable rate. It was all Terra could do to keep up, and since some of the New Titans had not yet arrived from school activities, it wasn't going to get easier anytime soon.

"Man, how can something that ugly be that hard to hit?" she muttered as she brought up more earth to fling. But before Terra could even bring it to bear, the spider-girl leapt from her perch and onto the young girl. Terra found herself suddenly pinned to the ground, looking up at eight legs and a disgusting face. "Nice hair." Claw breathed as she peered down at her prey. "I think I'll bring it back home as a souvenir. Mom and I can get some tips from it." But before Claw could do anything, black energy wrapped around her body and threw her off. As the spider bounced across the street, Terra looked up to see Sunblaze and Owl hover to the ground. "'Bout time." The earth-mover said. "Sorry, I had to drag him out of chess club." Owl said. "There was this really good knight pattern going and… never mind." Sunblaze said with a hint of embarrassment. "So who is it this time?" he asked. "New one. Your folks ever tell you about Fang and Kitten, Riv?" "Once or twice." Sunblaze said. "Meet their daughter." She said, pointing to the rising form of Claw. "Some people shouldn't be allowed to reproduce." Owl said, with a visible shiver.

A second later, Claw sped towards them, her face widening as if to swallow them whole. All three Titans readied themselves, but before they could even begin to attack, two beams of light suddenly shot out from behind them and slammed into the spider-girl, smashing her back. But before she landed, a pair of huge metal hands appeared under her, and trapped her within them. Smiling, Metallix suddenly closed his eyes, and suddenly his hands separated from his arms. Claw was left trapped inside two gigantic enfolded steel hands. As Lightweaver came up behind the Titans, Metallix's face narrowed in concentration, and from his wrists, two new hands grew. "I've been wanting to try that for a bit." He said, as he opened up his eyes. "Not bad." Lightweaver said. "You're getting much better at this." "Especially considering that you pretty much hated this idea in the beginning." Manimal added. "I guess once you actually start doing this job, it feels pretty good." Metallix said. "Yeah, too bad we didn't get to feel that." Owl said snidely. "Hey, that's what you get for being late." Terra said. "Someone else coming and stealing your spotlight. You're just lucky that Riv's sister isn't here, or you'd really have nothing."

"Yeah, where is she anyway?" Manimal asked. "I didn't see her after school today." "Dad and Brett took her to Gotham. Said there was some new teacher there to help her with her anger." Sunblaze answered. "Jeez, this guy better be a good teacher. Lisa'd rip his head off if he said the wrong thing." "Naw, I wouldn't worry about it." Lightweaver said. "What do you mean?" Terra asked. But before the fox could answer, a familiar jingle came from her belt. Reaching down, Lightweaver pulled out her communicator and opened it. "What's up Ed?" she asked. Eddie had remained at the Tower in order to give Cyborg a hand repairing the old technology. The dog was surprisingly good with computers, and was speeding up the process considerably. "Got some news for you, foxy." He replied. "There's a fire in the east side. It's in an apartment complex and growing fast. You guys better get over there." "What's the address?" she asked. "132, East and Union." "We're on our way." Lightweaver answered and shut the communicator. Turning to the Titans, she said, "Well guys, it looks like we've got our first rescue attempt too." "What about ugly there?" Owl asked. "She's pretty well trapped, and she doesn't have her dad's acid to eat through the steel. Claw'll be fine until the cops get here." Lightweaver said. "Now let's go." The fox said, as she spread her armor's wings and shot into the air. Sunblaze and Owl quickly followed, Manimal resumed his hawk form and flew after them, and Terra formed a platform for Metallix and herself.


	24. Hero Trained, Hero Made, Hero in Pain

Chap. 24

A Hero Trained, a Hero Made,A Hero inPain

Kestrel stood on the ledge alone. Below her was fifty feet of blackness. Above her, a ceiling covered in stalactites. Fifteen feet below and in front of her, the only other piece of solid ground. She took one last look over the edge, steeling her nerves for the task ahead. Taking a deep breath, Kestrel bent down, stretched her arms forward and leapt into the abyss. For a second, she hung in the air, seeming to move barely move forward. Just as she sensed gravity begin to pull her down, Kestrel felt her talons dig deep into the stalactite. Using her momentum, her hand twisted its grip on the rock and she hurled forward to the next one. With a carefully maintained rhythm, Kestrel moved from stalactite to stalactite, digging deep into each one. Finally, Kestrel reached the last one. With a final push, she launched herself into the air once again. The wall loomed in front of her, but as it drew near, Kestrel suddenly flipped over so that her feet were headed towards the wall. They hit the wall, and Kestrel pushed off, turning over in the air and grabbing a hold onto the rocky wall. With uncanny speed, she repeated the process, flipping down the wall to the ground below.

Yet once her feet touched the ground, the danger continued. Holes suddenly opened up in the floor, and long black columns began to pop out. But Kestrel refused to be daunted. With less then a thought, she began to dart in between the columns, striking each one that rose from the ground. As she struck the columns, they retracted back into the ground. But no matter how fast she could move, Kestrel was not perfect. One column fully rose from the ground, and upon doing so, its top opened, revealing an electronic eye. The eye glowed red for a second, and then red laser shot out, striking Kestrel in the arm as she turned to face it. She let out a grunt of pain, as she grabbed her burned arm. But as she turned back to the column, a fire came into her eyes that matched the burn. Leaping forward, she charged the lone column, her rage painted on her face. But as she charged, she heard the sounds of other columns opening and she knew she'd made a mistake. The lasers slammed into her, striking before she had a chance to fight back. Crying out in pain, she fell to the ground.

The columns whirled around, their open eyes targeting the fallen girl. But before they could fire, they suddenly closed. As Kestrel started to pull herself, she heard footsteps coming over. Suddenly, a black-gloved hand put itself in front of herself. Kestrel looked up and wordlessly took the hand. As she came to her feet, she saw the stern face of the Batman come up in front of her. Before she could even begin to say anything, the Dark Knight spoke. "Not bad…… for a corpse." Kestrel was silent, as he gave his rebuke. "What did you do wrong?" "I-I lost my temper." The girl replied, looking down at the floor. If anyone else had spoken to her like this, Kestrel would have clawed their eyes out. But in front of Batman, all she could do was stare at the pattern of the cave floor and shuffle her feet. "And what would have happened if this had been real?" he asked. "I'd be dead." She answered meekly. "Then you shouldn't do it again. Unless you need to." He answered. "Yes sir. I promise." Kestrel answered.

Batman nodded, and then said, "Again." As he turned to leave, Kestrel sighed then moved to the ladder that led up to the cave ledge where she'd started. Batman returned to the console and began to reset the course. But after a few minutes, he paused. "You're attracting flies." He said dryly, as he turned to face Brett. The bat stood there in shock, his jaw hanging all the way to his chest. With a click, the bat's jaw shut, and then began to move as he spoke. "I said the same things you did, and she thought I was an idiot. How?" Brett asked. "I know how to get them to listen." Batman replied, as he turned back to reset the course. Shaking his head in amazement, Brett turned back to Alfred and Robin who simply stood smiling. "I knew he was good, but goddamn." The bat muttered. "What else did you expect?" Robin asked. "He is a legend." "And quite terrifying to young superheroines in training." Alfred added. "I though I qualified as those too." Brett said with a bemused smirk. "Yeah, but nobody knows about you." Robin answered. "Well either way it doesn't matter. This is going better then I could have hoped. At this rate, Lisa should be ready to go by tonight. She's got way too much respect/fear for Brucie to go against what he tells her. Which doesn't help my ego, but whatever works. Who knows Rob, maybe they'll be a second generation Titans leader in the family yet." "How are the other new Titans doing?" Alfred asked. "After all, Master Dick created quite a legacy with the originals. I can only imagine what their children are capable of." "Overall, very good. We had some rough patches at first, but I think those problems are finally cooling off."

But though Brett's words had the ring of truth, cooling off was something that the remaining New Titans were not doing at the moment. Following Eddie's call they had reached the fire and were aiding the fire department in rescuing tenants from the complex. Unfortunately, the fire had spread quickly and only a few of the tenants had been able to get out before hand. Fortunately, the New Titans were capable of quick organization. Manimal, Metallix, Terra, and Sunblaze were working on getting the victims out while Lightweaver and Owl stayed behind to heal their injuries. So far, the process was working well, but a fire is simply a large flaming chaotic mess, and against such a thing, even the best organization is not enough…….

"Is there anybody there?" Sunblaze yelled, as he moved through the fire-filled hallway. His only response was the crackle of flame. The young boy shook his head and clutched his loaned oxygen mask to his face as he hovered through the building, above the flames. At this point, he and the others had gotten fifteen of the tenants, but the fire chief had believed there to be at least seventeen trapped inside. And the way the fire was going, Sunblaze doubted they had much time to keep looking.

"Hello!" he cried out again, hoping to hear something. And this time, he was apparently rewarded. Over the crackle of flame, Sunblaze could hear something moving behind a nearby wall. "Hold on, I'm coming!" he yelled, as he sped over to the spot. Quickly readying his power, Sunblaze prepared to unleash a starbolt on the wall. But before he could, he heard a bovine cry from the other side. Eyes widening, he quickly moved back down the hallway, as a huge shining animal slammed through the wall, three bodies slung on it's back. As the dust swirled, Sunblaze managed to view enough to see the shining substance slide off the bull's back and return to his normal shape. "Is that everybody?" Sunblaze yelled, as he rejoined his teammates. "Yeah that's it." Metallix answered, as he took one of the tenants, a middle-aged woman, off of Manimal's back and sling her across his shoulders. Sunblaze quickly grabbed one of the other tenants, as Manimal changed into a gorilla and held the other one. "Then call Terra and let's get out of here. There's no way I can stretch enough to protect all of us." Metallix said. Nodding, Sunblaze whipped out his communicator. "Terra, we've got the last three tenants. Get over to the fifth floor fire escape."

"On my way." The earth-mover answered. Sheathing her communicator, Terra moved her earth-platform over to the location that Sunblaze had specified. Once in position, she waited for the others to send the tenants out to her. Meanwhile on the ground, Owl and Lightweaver watched along with the fire chief. "My men say this should be the last load." The chief said, as he watched. "Thank heavens for that." Lightweaver said. "How's the fire control coming?" "We've been able to contain most of the smaller fires, and the larger one appears to be burning itself out." The chief replied. "Are you serious? It looks like it's still blazing to me." Owl replied. "True, but without the smaller fires to feed it, as well as the saturation by my men, it won't last much longer." The chief replied. But as he spoke those words, one of his men came running up to him. "Sir, we've got a problem." He panted. "What is it?" the chief demanded. "One of the unconscious tenants just woke up. She said…" "Are there more people inside?" Lightweaver interrupted. "No, but there is something else. Apparently, the super was doing some insecticide spraying in his apartment. The fumes haven't cleared out yet." "Where is the super's apartment?" the chief asked grimly. "The fifth floor." The fireman replied. Behind the chief, there were two gasps of shock. Grabbing her communicator, Lightweaver yelled into it, "Terra, get them out of there now!"

But it was too late. Just as Terra began to pick up her beeping communicator, the flames reached the super's apartment. Two of the windows of the fifth floor exploded, blasting Terra back with the heat. She pulled up on her platform, trying to block the heat. But as she shielded herself, she saw something fall out of the corner of her eye. It was a figure falling from the sky, flames licking at his purple uniform…… "SUNBLAZE!" Terra yelled in horror, as she dove down. Pushing the platform with all her strength, Terra zoomed downwards, angling herself underneath the young boy. As she moved underneath him, she suddenly swooped up, catching the boy in her arms. His fiery costume burned through her sleeves, but Terra bit her lip and ignored it. Bringing the platform down, she landed right in front of Lightweaver and Owl.

"No!' Owl screamed, as the two of them ran over to Terra. Gingerly getting off the platform, Terra laid the young boy down on the ground. Sunblaze had been hit hard by the flames. The right leg of his costume had been burned away, scorching the flesh underneath. His entire body was covered in ash and burn marks. A huge patch of raw skin covered his face. "Oh Jesus." Lightweaver moaned, as she moved to heal him. But before she could get close to him, Owl was in front of her, kneeling in front of the injured Titan. For a second, the fox was going to tell the girl to stop, that she didn't have the experience to heal him. But then she realized what was really happening, and so she turned to Terra and began to heal the earth mover's arms.

"Hang on, you'll be ok." Owl babbled, as she laid her hands over River's injured body. She tried to focus, tried to bring her powers to full. But her rampaging emotions were too much of an obstacle. River's body healed, but slowly. "C'mon, please." Owl moaned as she tried to make her powers work. But nothing the girl tried would increase the pace of healing. Turning, she prepared to call to her grandmother for help. But before the words came out of her mouth, she felt something grab her arm. Crying out in surprise, she whipped around to see Sunblaze's burned face trying to speak. "The….. others….. those…..people…." he said. "I-I don't know. You're the only one here." Owl replied in shock. At hearing those words, Sunblaze began to struggle underneath her. "What are you doing? You need to be healed!" Owl cried. "Others….. have to….. save them,….." "You can't, you're too weak." "You….. get them…. Forget me….." "No, I won't let you die." "Not…..important…" "Yes you are! I ." "Then…. You're…… wasting….. your time!" Sunblaze spat out. "Forget….. about…. Me! I…. Don't need…. Your…. affection!" "I-I.." Owl stammered, feeling as though she'd been slapped in the face. As she stammered, her powers began to flicker and weaken. The healing would have stopped, had Lightweaver not entered in, activating her own powers and instantly healing the boy.

"Are you ok?" the fox asked, as Sunblaze got to his feet. "We have to get back in there!" he cried out, his mind still focused on his friends. "They might still be alive!" Lightweaver started to answer, but then her eyes widened in shock. "Get back" she yelled, as she pulled both Owl and Sunbaze back. Just as they were out of the way, a huge steel ball slammed down from the sky into the pavement in front of them. As the group watched, it began to change and shift, until it had opened to reveal four unconscious people inside. "Manimal!" Owl yelled, as she raced over to the unconscious boy. Next to her, Metallix regained his normal form. Looking down, he asked, "Are they ok?" "I think so." Terra answered, as she moved to check on one of the tenants. "Good." The New Titan answered, as he sank to his knees, and hit the ground with a thud. Lightweaver and Rivers quickly came to his side. Looking him over, the fox replied, "He's ok, just too much smoke and exertion. Give him a few more minutes." Rivers breathed a sigh of relief, and then he looked over at Owl as she checked on Manimal. She breathed a sigh of relief as she finished checking her brother, then looked at Sunblaze for a split second, then looked away. But in that time, the young boy saw a tremendous amount of hurt in those eyes. _Well what did you expect? _He thought. _She almost lost her friends today. She'll be ok in a little bit. After all, Brett and Sara will be around to talk to. And it isn't like she has anything else to get over. _


	25. Crazy Talk

Chap. 25

Crazy Talk

"How long has she been doing this?" Brett asked, as the group watched Kestrel go through her final training course by the Batcomputer. "I believe this is her fifteenth attempt." Alfred answered, as he watched Kestrel dodge the flying razor blades. "Still, she's doing pretty good." Robin said, as he watched the girl leap over the flaming pit of death. "It took me at least twelve tries to get through this course." "I guess being your daughter doesn't count for everything." Brett said, as he watched Kestrel catch the overhead chains, shimmy up over rapid machine gun fire, and swing off to the next one. "Indeed." Alfred replied. Glancing down at his watch, the butler suddenly said, "It's getting rather late, Master Dick. Shouldn't you be taking the young lady home soon?" "What time is it?" Robin asked, as Kestrel began to fight off the chainsaw wielding robots. "About six-thirty sir." "Man, I hate how time just stops down here." Robin muttered. Moving over to the control panel where Batman stood, he said, "Bruce, it's late. We need to take Lisa home now so she can get some sleep before school."

"All right." Said the Dark Knight, as he twisted a few dials on the panel. Instantly, the robots shut off and stood immobile. At that same moment, Kestrel, realizing she was no longer fighting for her life, collapsed to the ground. As she lay there, breathing deeply, trying to draw energy back into her sweat-soaked body, Brett teleported over and asked. "Good workout?" "If…. Not….so….. tired….. kill…. You." The girl wheezed out. "I doubt it." The bat replied, as he put out his hand to help her up. Kestrel took it eagerly, and as Brett dragged her to her feet and wrapped an arm around her to keep her upright the others came up. Walking close, Batman leaned down and asked, "Do you see what you can do when you keep your anger in check?" "Yes….. sir…" Kestrel rasped out. "I hope so Lisa." Robin said, coming to stand right next to his mentor. "Because from now on, every time you lose your temper on the field and it leads to trouble, you'll come back here and train for a full day. So are we going to have to do that?" Lisa's extremely vehement shake of her head, which coated Brett in a sheet of sweat, was answer enough. "Good. Now lets' go home." The former boy wonder said. Turning back to Batman, he said, "Thanks again Bruce. I really appreciate this." "Never a problem Dick." The Dark Knight replied. "It was almost like training you again. Except she can rip the robots' heads off." "That's from her mother. Or her aunt, we're not sure." Robin said. Shaking his mentor's hand, he gave Alfred a quick hug then began to head back up the stairway, with Brett and Kestrel behind him. As he reached the top, Robin suddenly let out a small chuckle. "What's so funny?" Brett asked. "I wish I had thought of this when Lisa was younger. It could have saved a lot of fragile, expensive objects." "I can only imagine." The bat said with a smirk, as Lisa, exhausted as she was, could only give a small sneer. But even that faded in exhaustion.

* * *

"Well, I see the conquering heroes have returned." Eddie said, as he turned in his chair to face the returning Titans. "How'd it go out there?" "How do you think?" Manimal said, as he coughed out smoke for the hundredth time since leaving the site. "I figured, but after what I saw on the news I'd ask your opinions." "We made the news?" Terra asked as she collapsed into a chair. "Well, considering everything the Titans do is newsworthy now, I'd be disappointed if we didn't." Eddie replied, as he turned over to look at Metallix. "But I gotta say kid, you really impressed me. You put yourself at a big risk out there." "It wasn't anything special." Metallix insisted, as he de-armored. "Yes it was." The dog insisted. "When you came here, you didn't seem to care. Now you're willing to sacrifice yourself for others. It's a good move." "He's right Martin." Sara agreed, as she walked over. "You've matured and now you see something outside yourself. I'm proud of you." "You should be too, you know." Rivers said. "Yeah man, you did good." Bart added, as he clapped his fellow Titan on the back. Martin's only response was to look at the floor and mutter embarrassed words of thanks. "Hey, you earned this, right Katie?" Terra said, as she looked over at her cousin. "Yeah. You totally earned it." Katie concurred, although there was a hint of melancholy in her voice. "See, it's unanimous." Rivers said. "Now, I think this earned us some kind of reward." He said, looking over at Sara. "Well, it could, but I don't know….." "Aw come on!" Bart said. "All right, follow me." Sara said, as she walked over to the door. The others followed, but Terra lingered a moment. Leaning in close to Eddie, she whispered something into his ear. Looking over at her, the dog nodded. "Hey Rivers," he said suddenly. "Can you hold on a second?" "Sure." The young boy replied, as he broke off from the others. Terra gave silent thanks, and rejoined the other Titans who quickly left the room.

"Listen Rivers, I need to ask you something." Eddie said, as he came over to the boy. "Sure, what?" Rivers asked back. "It's a bit of a personal question, but it's something that could save a lot of problems around here in the future. So I need you to be totally honest with me." "Eddie, I swear I'll help in anyway I can. Now what is it?" Rivers asked. Nodding, the dog cleared his throat, and as firmly as he could, asked his question; "Are you gay?"

"Huh?" Rivers sputtered back in surprise. "Look, it's ok if you are. I've been alive too long to care about things like that. But I think that if you can admit it then maybe….." "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Before this goes any further, I want to know where the hell this came from!" Rivers asked. "What do you mean?" Eddie asked coyly. "Look Eddie, I don't know what you've been thinking, but you have no right to ask me this sort of thing! It's none of your business!" Rivers yelled. Eddie was silent a moment, then asked, "So you're not gay?" "No!" Rivers snapped back. "OK then." The dog replied. "Then I apologize for asking you something so personal. I also apologize in advance."

"In advance for what?" Rivers asked. His answer was the sudden sting of Eddie's hand striking the back of his head. "OW! What was that for?" Rivers asked, as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well something had to wake you the hell up." The dog replied. "I don't want to see anyone get hurt on this team, and that includes my grand-niece." "Grand-nie… you mean Katie?" Rivers asked. "Who else? Now listen Rivers, you're obviously not gay, so you must be very thickheaded in these matters. Therefore I'm going to spell it out for you as clearly as I can. Katie _likes_ you. I know it, Brett knows it, everyone knows it except you. Katie adores you and what you said today really hurt her." Rivers was silent a minute, then shook his head with a rueful smirk. "Man are you out of it." He said. "From my point of view, you're the one who's out of it." "Look Eddie, Katie and I are just friends. She doesn't have any reason to like me that way."

"Dude, people don't always need reasons for liking each other. If reason was the guiding factor behind love, Katie and Bart wouldn't even be here." "I'm sorry Eddie, it just doesn't make sense. She and I haven't known each other that long and I haven't seen her do anything to make me think you're right. And I don't think there's anything you can say to make me think otherwise." Eddie started to argue again, but then just shook his head. "Whatever kid, but will you at least admit that you hurt her a little today?" At that, Rivers' face did soften. "She was really quiet on the way back here. I shouldn't have tried to push her away when she tried to heal me." "Maybe you should say something." Eddie suggested. "I think I will." The young boy said, as he moved towards the door. As he reached it, h turned and said, "Thanks for telling me Eddie. Even if you are wrong about us." The dog nodded as he watched the boy leave the room. Shaking his head, Eddie returned to the computer console. "So that's what Sara and Brett were talking about." He muttered.


	26. Locker Room Conversations

Chap. 26

Locker Room Conversations

"Hey, are we there yet?" Bart asked for at least the fifth time, as the New Titans made their way down the next flight of stairs. Since Sara had teasingly announced a reward for their efforts, she had led them through the majority of the Tower on their way to that surprise. Most of the group had been patient, but Bart, being the youngest, lacked that patience; in fact, it was possible that he did not understand the meaning of the word. After the first two sets of stairs he had begun complaining that it was too far away. After the third, he said he was too tired to go on. After three more sets, he had begged for someone to carry him. And all the while, Sara's only words had been that they were getting closer. That, and continually telling Martin to take his sonic cannon away from Bart's head.

"OK guys, we're here." Sara finally said, as the group reached the doorway to the garage. "Thank you God." Bart said, as he all but melted into a puddle in his exhaustion. "Wait a minute, why are we at the garage?" Katie asked. "Because the surprise is in there." Terra answered. "Is my dad involved in this?" Martin asked suddenly. "You could say that." Sara answered. Upon hearing those words, Martin instantly let out a moan. "What's wrong?" Terra asked. "Whenever my dad says he has a surprise and it leads to the garage, it means he wants me to help him rebuild something. We're gonna be up to our necks in grease in about five minutes." "Maybe you're wrong." Katie said somewhat frantically, having absolutely _no _interest on working on a huge automobile at the moment. In fact, she had no interest in it at any moment in time, since the one time she tried to help her father and almost sliced off his fingers. "Please God, not that." She prayed, as Sara, shaking her head in amusement, opened the door.

The New Titans entered the room and were instantly assaulted by the smell of oil and car parts. "I see Dad hasn't changed his habits in twenty years." Martin noticed as he looked at the half-eaten sandwich next to a random car part. "What do you mean?" Bart asked, having suddenly regained his strength. "Let's just say we've made a lot of trips to the dentist over the years." Martin answered. "Oh." Bart replied. Looking around the garage, the young boy yelled out, "Hey Mr. Stone, where's this surprise?" "Over here." came Cyborg's voice from the other side of the garage. The group quickly moved over to the spot, their curiosity overpowering their fear of automotive work. But when they finally found Cyborg, they froze in utter shock. Cyborg stood there with a huge smile on his grease-covered face and a big wrench in his hand. Next to him, fully restored, rebuilt, and re-anything else you can think of, was perhaps the greatest automobile of all time…."Is that the T-Car?" Martin asked as he trembled in amazement. "What do you think?" Terra asked, as she moved over to the sleek car. "I've been working on it for the last few days, trying to get all the wires working again." Cyborg explained, as Martin, Sara, Katie, and Bart came and looked it over. "After security, this was my most important project. You can't be the Titans without a sweet ride." Cyborg went on to explain how he rebuilt the car, using the most advanced tech that the world had to offer. However, his speech was completely thrown to the wind a second later when Martin asked a simple, but all-important question- "Who gets to drive it?" The second that was out of his mouth, Sara and Terra burst into laughter. "Like father like son." Terra said between her chuckles. Cyborg gave a bemused smile then said, "Well, actually, you are Marty." At that, Cyborg had the distinct pleasure of watching his son's head shoot up and splatter drool all over the floor.

"Yes Martin it's yours. I talked this over with the Elementals and your mother, and we think you're the best qualified." Cyborg explained. "You've always loved cars, so you'll have a lot of knowledge of how it works. I've shown you some of the basics of driving. Plus, you've really matured since this whole thing began and after what happened today, you definitely earned something." He would have continued, but then Katie put her hand up. "Um, maybe I'm crazy, but how is a thirteen year old going to drive?" "Hey, I'm fourteen!" Martin shot back. "Actually Katie, I did some work with Brett on this. He helped me duplicate the driving system for the BRAT-Mobile, and that was easy enough for a ten-year old to drive. Martin shouldn't have a problem with it." "Well, I guess that makes sense then." Katie said, as Martin began to jump around in utter joy. "No it doesn't!" Bart yelled out. "Why can't _I_ drive?" This question was routinely ignored by everyone. "So son, you wanna take it out for a spin?" Cyborg said as he held out the keys. A split-second later, they were gone and Martin was behind the wheel. "I think you'd better go with him." Sara said. "Good idea." Cyborg said, as he opened the passenger side door and hopped in. Seconds later, the engine ignited and the T-Car shot out of the garage doorway. However, the door was still down. "We're gonna have to fix that." Sara said, as the dust cleared and a large, car shaped hole could be seen in the door. "Indeed. You guys can get started, I'm gonna get changed." Katie said, as she vanished into a black portal. "Smart kid." Terra said. "Can't take after her dad." Sara replied. But before they could start on the door, Rivers suddenly flew down from the doorway. "Man, I wish I had asked where you guys went. I've been flying around this Tower for fifteen minutes. Do you guys know where Katie is?" he asked as he looked around. "Actually you just missed her." Terra said. "I think she went up to her room." "But that's on the top… oh hell." Rivers muttered, as he turned and flew back through the doorway. "I'm guessing you talked to Eddie?" Sara asked, as she turned to the young earthmover. Terra nodded. "Then this _should_ be interesting." Sara replied.

Meanwhile, in another, secluded room of the Tower, a pool of black energy suddenly appeared on the ground. As it grew large enough, Katie suddenly rose up through it. Once she had fully emerged, the portal vanished. Stepping forward, Katie moved over to the duffel bag by the circular bed in the center of the room. "Mom definitely liked her comfort." Katie said, as she walked by the large bed. Of course, she'd thought that every time she'd seen that bed since Brett had assigned her this room. The bat had foreseen that the New Titans couldn't spend all their time together while they were in the Tower or they'd kill each other. Therefore he'd assigned each of them their own private room within the Tower to spend time alone in. And in a stroke of either genius or laziness, he had assigned them their parents' old rooms, which still contained a lot of the furniture from those days. Of course, some were luckier then others in room assignment. Bart's room was still a nuclear disaster from when Beast Boy had messed it up. _Not that it's too different from his room at home. _Katie thought as she opened the bag and pulled out her regular clothes. _But I still want to know what Starfire was thinking with her room. The look on River's face when he saw that thing on her wall……_

Katie paused a minute then, her hands twisting her clothes. _Rivers….. oh stop it, it wasn't like that. He just wanted to save the others. _A voice in her mind said. _But then why did it hurt so much? _Said another. _Maybe if you told him? _Said another. But at that, Katie swiftly shook her head. Putting the clothes on the bed, she undid her cloak and began to pull off her boots. "I have got to stop thinking about this." Katie muttered. "He didn't say that he didn't love me or anything. I mean, he doesn't even know that I do like him." _And he never will if you don't tell him. _Said one of the voices. _But what if he says no? _replied another. "Besides, he might make the first move." Katie said, as she moved her hands to pull off her leotard. As she slipped out of it, she continued speaking. "Besides, I don't know what to say anyway." _It might help if you tried._ A voice said. "And then I'll look like an idiot." Katie shot back, as she reached for her clothes. But Katie had been so involved with her one-sided conversation that she hadn't paid attention to some important details; specifically the door opening and closing behind her and a certain flying boy in search of her finally finding her, only to be stunned into silence by his discovery. However that shock was not enough to prevent him from making a shocked "uhhh" sound. And Katie's inner thoughts were not strong enough to prevent from hearing it. Eyes wide, she whipped around to see Rivers standing in front of the door, eyes wide as saucers. Yet her eyes became even bigger a second later when she realized that she was standing in front of him in only her panties and tiny training bra.

For a split-second, the shock overpowered both of them. Then Rivers, always the greater thinker, realized what was going on and threw his forearm over his eyes. "I didn't see anything!" he cried out, as he tried to move out of the room. However, moving backwards with your eyes covered never leads to anything good. Rivers' foot moved back, and then stepped on a small statue that Raven had left behind. Unprepared for it, he stumbled back, hit the wall, and then fell to the ground, arm over his eyes the whole time. "Rivers!" Katie cried out, as she grabbed a shirt and all but rammed her head and arms into it. Grasping a pair of jeans, she attempted to put them on and get to Rivers at the same time. But this too leads to trouble, as Katie hopped across the room with only leg in the jeans and another trying to force it's way in. When she got within a few feet of Rivers, her balance finally gave out and she fell forward landing on him with a thud. Rivers let out a grunt from the impact, as Katie's face went crimson with embarrassment. "Are you ok?" she asked, hoping that he couldn't see her face. "Yeah, the floor broke my fall." He gasped. "And I guess you broke mine." Katie said sheepishly, as she moved off him. "Sorry." "It's ok." Rivers said, as he got to his feet. "I guess I should have knocked first." "No, no, I should've locked it." Katie said, as she buttoned the jeans and got to her feet.

"It doesn't really matter anyway." Rivers said. "I've already got one apology to make and I should probably make another." "Apology for what else?" Katie asked. "I'm sorry for how I acted after Terra pulled me out of the fire. I was angry and I took it out on you." "Rivers it's ok. I know you didn't mean it, and besides you were worried about the others." "I know, but I should've realized that you were just trying to help me and that since I was the only one who was outside it made sense. Besides, Martin and Bart would've probably wanted you to heal me anyway. Instead I just got angry instead of making the logical choice and letting you heal me first. I hate when I do that and I hate when I hurt my friends." "Well, I appreciate hearing that Rivers. What made you say all this?" "Well, I realized how hurt you looked after what I said. That and Eddie made it pretty clear that I'd hurt you. But I think he's a little delusional though." "What do you mean?" Katie asked. "He gave this crazy story that you liked me, and that was why you were so distraught. Pretty funny huh?" "Yeah, um, hilarious." Katie said nervously. "I didn't get it either. But either way, are we cool?" "Sure." Katie said, giving a small smile. "Good. I think you're a great friend and I don't ever want to think that I hurt you." Rivers said, as he moved to leave the room. Katie was quiet a second, then said, "Hey Rivers?" "Yeah?" he asked, pausing at the door. "Um, could you not, well, tell anyone what happened in here?" "Don't worry about." He replied, as he walked out. But once the door shut behind him, Rivers closed his eyes and a small smile grew on his lips; a smile that said even though he'd never say anything about what happened, he'd always remember it.


	27. Aftershocks

Chap. 27

Aftershocks

"Jesus." Eddie muttered, as he looked over the door. After examining the hole left by Martin's untimely exit, Terra and Sara had decided that it could be fixed, but it would be easier work with more power then the two of them could muster on their own. So they had called Eddie to add the final piece to the puzzle. "I knew giving that kid a car was a bad idea." "It was Cy's decision and you know that he's a good judge of character." Terra said. "Maybe, but he's apparently not a good judge of what will keep a building together." The dog replied. "Well, let's fix this thing." He said, as he stepped back from the wall. Nodding, Terra came to the front and raised her hands towards the pile of rubble. As her eyes began to glow, the concrete wreckage began to move. Moving her arms around, Terra guided the pieces of the door back into their proper places in the hole. The young girl held them in place, and then turned back to her father. Nodding, Eddie held out his own hand towards the wreckage. His own power took over then, doing what Terra's could not. Under his guidance, the pieces reached out and found each other, merging back into one solid piece. Finally, Sara added the final piece. Holding out her index finger, the fox shot out a beam of light and ran it over the final cracks, fusing the huge piece back into the wall.

But as the three Elementals looked over their work, they failed to notice the black portal that had opened on the ground behind them. They also failed to see the angry girl rising out of it. However, they did not fail to hear the voice behind them yell, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!" In fact, the Elementals did not fail to hear that voice so well, that they almost leapt through the ceiling. When they did return to earth, Eddie turned around, and clutching his chest asked with panting breath, "Is something wrong?" "What do you think!" Katie snapped. "How could you do that? What made you think you had any kind of right to talk about that?" "Katie calm down." Terra said, in an effort to try to grasp what was going on. "I don't know what Eddie did, but it can't be that bad." "Yes it is." Katie replied, her eyes smoldering. "Well maybe if you tell us what's going on, we can try to fix it." Sara offered. "No, I can't tell you. But I'm sure that he will if he wants to." Katie answered back. Sighing, Sara turned to Eddie and asked, "What did you do this time?" "Your guess is as good as mine." Was the dog's reply. "I didn't do anything to her." "Come on Eddie, think. This isn't the first time you've insulted someone because you didn't think. Remember the tribal incident?" "How was I supposed to know that they considered cheese to be demon-sent?" Eddie shot back. "Because their devil was a cow? "Whatever. I haven't said anything that was related to Katie all day…. Oh wait is this about him?"

"You bet it is." Katie growled. Taking one look at her granddaughter's face, Sara asked (feigning ignorance), "Did he say something about Rivers?" At that, Katie's face went from anger to shock in less than a second. "Yeah, he kinda did." Terra said, as she looked at Sara apologetically. "Well to be truthful, I said something to Rivers." Eddie added sheepishly. "Oh my God, you told him didn't you?" Sara asked in amazement. "What in God's name would make you do that?" "Well it's not like he would've found out on his own." Eddie argued. "And I didn't want to see Katie keep throwing herself at him for nothing." He would have said more, but then Katie suddenly leapt back into the conversation. "You told them about it?" she yelled at Eddie. "No he didn't." Terra said. "We knew." "What?" "I hate to tell you this, but everybody knows Katie. I think the only one who doesn't know is Rivers." "B-But how?" "You're not very good at hiding it honey." Sara answered. "You always spend time with him, you always try to help him when he gets hurt, you stare at him when he trains…. That one pretty much did it for us." For a second, Katie stood in shock, but then came but, "But if Bart knew…" "I told him that if he so much as breathed a word to you or anyone that Brett would bring his worst nightmares to life, and you know your grandfather can do it."

Katie's only response was to stare at them and ask, "Why didn't you tell him before?" "Because it wasn't our place to tell him." Sara said, with a look over at Eddie. "Look I have my own reason ok?" Eddie said. "Everyone hear knows that Rivers is a good kid, but he's got his head in books. He doesn't notice anything that can't be analyzed or read about. And he always takes the logical approach to everything. I wasn't even sure if he noticed girls. Hell, when I told him about this, he thought I was crazy because he couldn't see any kind of logical reason behind it. And after today, I thought that it would save future drama if you two could start discussing this." "Even so, I have a feeling you could've handled it better." Sara said. "But he has a point Katie." The fox said, turning the young girl. "Rivers isn't going to notice anything about this on his own. If you ever want him to even figure out if he has feelings towards you, you have to make the first move yourself."

Katie opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get anything out, the wall the Elementals had just fixed exploded once again, as the T-Car shot back in. The Elementals ducked to dodge the rubble, but Katie had already created an energy shield to protect them. "Goddamit, that thing has a garage door opener! And we have a garage door!" Eddie swore, as the dust and rubble settled. However, as the field came down, Eddie saw his words were useless as Martin hopped out of the car with the enthusiasm of a five year old with a new toy. "So awesome!" he said over and over as he leapt around in joy. "I wonder what Cy thinks of his decision now?" Sara wondered, as she waited for her old friend to emerge. But strangely, the passenger side door remained shut. "Cy?" Sara wondered aloud, as she moved over to the door.

Pulling the handle, she opened the door, only to see Cyborg literally fall out of the car. The former Titan's face was milky white and contorted into a mask of pure fear. His body was apparently locked in its sitting position, as his hand clung to the inner door handle with a death grip. "Oh my God, he's dead." Eddie said, as he came over to investigate. "No, he's just terrified." Sara said. "C'mon, we need to get him out of this. See if you can pry his hand loose." "Right." The dog agreed, as he placed his fingers around the door handle. Straining with all his might, the dog attempted to break Cy's grip. "This is gonna be interesting huh?" Terra said, as she looked over the mess of the room, Martin's six-year-old style exuberance, and Cyborg's paralyzed state. "Right." Katie answered half-heatedly, her mind on other things.

_Later that night…._

"Mom, I'm home!" Rivers called out, as he closed the door behind him. The house was fairly quiet, but the smells of food cooking more then made up for the lack of conversation. _Good thing that Dad showed Mom how to cook. After seeing that old alien food in the Tower…… ehhh. _Rivers thought, as he deposited his backpack on the floor. Walking into the kitchen, Rivers saw his mom working over about three different pots. "Busy tonight?" he asked. "I thought I heard something." Starfire said, turning to smile at her son. "I saw you kids on the TV tonight. I'm really proud of you." "It was nothing Mom. Besides, you don't want me to get a swelled head." Rivers said, as he moved to get some plates on the table. "I doubt it. Your father would never let you get that cocky." Star replied. "Is Dad coming home tonight?" Rivers asked. "He should be home soon. He just has to get back from Gotham with Lisa and Brett." "Oh yeah, her training. I wish you guys would've told me what it was." "You never would've believed it."

Suddenly, bright light flooded the room, and the sound of a car engine could be heard. "Sounds like Brett and your father are home." Star said, as she moved to greet them. Rivers followed, but he was more interested in seeing what had happened to his sister. Robin hadn't told his son a lot about where he and Brett were taking Lisa, only that it was in Gotham. Rivers couldn't imagine what there was in Gotham that would help his sister control her temper, but he trusted Brett and Robin's judgment. That of course, did not mean he wasn't curious about it. After all, any force that could keep Lisa under control had to be impressive indeed. _Whoever it is must be six feet tall and able to bend steel just by looking at it. _Rivers thought as his mother opened the door to let them in.

But one look at his sister made him wonder if such a person hadn't simply fought her for the last eight hours straight. Lisa reeked of sweat and lines of exhaustion ran all over her face. Her hair was stringy and dead looking, clinging to her face. She didn't have too many bruises, but Robin and Brett still had to support her as she walked in. _And she's had all that rest on the ride back. _Rivers thought. Leading her to a chair, the two heroes gently lowered her into it. "Jesus, what happened out there?" Rivers asked, as he looked at his sister in disbelief. Slowly, the girl's lips began to move, muttering a few words in a hushed voice. Rivers came in close, straining his ears to hear the words, but he only caught a few. "Dad, what happened?" he asked in confusion, looking up at Robin. "She's talking about a bat and a big cave in Gotham. Does Brett have a summer home there or something?" "I wish." Brett replied. "But Gotham already has a bat." "Wha…. _He's_ _**real**?"_ Rivers said in disbelief. "Mm-hmm." Robin said. "He spent the whole day with her, putting her through all the paces." "And I see that Bruce has not forgotten how to train." Starfire said, as she brought her daughter a glass of water. Lisa eagerly drank it down, as Rivers made the connection that his mother had let out. "Bruce Wayne is Batman?" the New Titan cried out. "Good job with the secret-keeping, honey." Robin said, though there was still warmth in his voice. "Sorry. You know I can't keep a secret unless lives are at stake." Star replied. "Or if it involves a hidden stash of mustard." Brett added.

"Why didn't you guys just tell me?" Rivers asked, returning to the topic at hand. "For one thing, you weren't involved." Robin said. "Second, Batman doesn't like most people to know he exists, much less that he's a respected billionaire." "But you still might get a chance to see him." Brett added. "What do you mean?" Rivers asked warily. "We talked to him before we left. Batman's agreed that if any of you start acting up, then we'll send you to Gotham for a full day of training." Looking at his sister, Rivers mentally swore to be the most obedient Titan he could possibly be. "Now then, I'm afraid I've gotta head out. Bart and the others are gonna want the car back." "Speaking of that, did Cyborg get the T-Car up and running today?" Robin asked his son. "Pretty much." Rivers answered. "He gave Martin the keys too. Of course, Martin then drove it through the wall. Twice. Oh, and he put Cyborg into system lockdown for about three hours from the ride." Brett stared at the boy, then shook his head and laughed. "I told him I should drive that thing. Or at least wait until Martin was legal. Ah well. See you guys tomorrow." With that, the bat walked out the door. A few seconds later, the sound of ignition filled the house, followed by the sound of burning rubber. "Does he always drive like that?" Rivers asked. "Pretty much." Robin answered, as he moved over to Lisa. Picking up the girl in his arms, he turned to the stairs. "I'm gonna put her to bed. She's earned it." He said. "Sounds like a good idea." Starfire said. "I'll finish up dinner. Rivers, finish setting the table." " All right." Was the reply, as the newly obedient Titan moved to finish the task.

Usually, what happened next was Rivers eating dinner, doing his homework, and falling into bed exhausted. But six hours after all that, Rivers lay on his bed wide-awake. It was 2 AM, and by now Rivers was near unconscious. But every time he closed his eyes, he could see…. _Dammit, why can't I get rid of this?_ He thought angrily, as he turned around and around. _I shouldn't be thinking of it anyway._ But nothing he could do would erase the image. _Please God, I need sleep. _He thought desperately, as he closed his eyes one last time. But again he was foiled. Katie's image from earlier in the day once again filled his waking mind. "I'm never gonna sleep."He muttered, as he turned his face into the pillow. _Of course, there could be worse things to look at_, he thought for a moment. Underneath his eyelids, his eyes moved all over the image. From her legs, smooth and wonderfully long, up past her slim yet curvy body, to her tiny but still beautiful breasts. _And don't forget the view from beh…..**WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?**_ Rivers thought in shock, as his eyes popped open. "For God's sake, I shouldn't be thinking about her like that. It's not right." Rivers said, as he ran his hands through his hair. But as he did, he realized that his hands were covered in sweat. "Blast it." He muttered. "What is wrong with me? I've never thought about anyone like this before."

_Well, she is a girl you know._ Said a voice in his head. "She's my friend." _That's how it always starts. _"That's stupid. You're just thinking abut this because of what Eddie said." _Technically, **you're** thinking it. But why would Eddie make something like that up? _"He didn't make it up, he was just mistaken. Besides, even if Katie does like me that way, I don't feel it back." _Riiiiiiight. That's why you can't get her picture out of your head. _Sighing, Rivers turned back to trying to fall asleep. But he did so not only because he was tired; he did it because he had no retort.


	28. One More Hurdle

Before anyone reds this, I just want to say that I have been extremely grateful to get your positive reviews every week. That being said, I'm afraid that I won't be updating for a bit. I'm almost finshed with my Avatar story and I can't concentrate on anything else until it's done. Don't worry, I'm not gonna disappear for a month, but it will probably take more time then usual to get the next chapter up. Of course, that gives me more time to make it good, and believe you me, I have to do that. So you guys'll hear from me again soon, so please be patient.

Chap. 28

One More Hurdle

I could tell you that Rivers and Katie got together soon after this and worked out everything in a mature fashion and simply got together. But these are teenagers we're discussing here. So instead of that, they continued to hide their feelings and act with some awkwardness towards each other. They also continued, along with the others to train and protect the city as they awaited the coming of Slade. But eventually, they reached the state that all students reach; where there is nothing left to learn. The Elementals finally ran out of things to teach them, three weeks ahead of schedule. They knew that the training schedule, while lessened, would still be effective as a form of practice. But the four of them were stumped as to how to 'graduate' the New Titans. But then one night, inspiration came……

"No..no… aw dammit!" Eddie swore at the TV screen. "Looks like I win." Terra said gleefully as the baseball player on TV rounded home. In their time together, Eddie and Terra had discovered that they shared quite a few interests, including a love for baseball. Every week, they would sit and watch their personal favorites play and bet chores on who won. The game in question at the moment was between the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Mets were Eddie's team, and the Diamondbacks Terra's. Since the game was between their hometown favorites, they had grouped together the chores they each hated the most and bet them against each other. Which meant that now, Eddie would be in charge of cleaning all the rooms in the East Wing of the Tower and the West, as well as toilet duties. "Why couldn't you have been a New Yorker?" he moaned, as he put his face in his hands. "What, so I could root for the Yankees? Pussies." Terra answered. At that, Eddie raised his face and looked at the girl with a smile. "You _are_ my child." He said with a grin.

Terra smiled back, but looked away a second later. Eddie mentally sighed and turned back to the screen. Even thought Terra had been living with Eddie for more then two months, she still wasn't able to call him Dad. Eddie wasn't by nature a patient man, but in this case, he knew he had to make an exception. Still, it pained him to see her turn away every time he even mentioned the fact she was his daughter. _Just let it go man. Sooner or later, she'll come around._ He thought, as he watched the 'backs celebrate onscreen. "Yeah, try to win another Series without Jackson." He muttered. "Hey, at least we have plenty of good players." Terra said, rejoining the conversation. "Yeah right. Without the Unit, you guys won't see another championship…." "Until you guys do?" "Hey at least the Mets aren't some two-year expansion club. We've got history. We've got Tommy Agee, Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Jerry Grote, Willie Mays,…" "Yeah, but the definitive word there is history. Once Piazza's gone, all you'll have Pedro and he's just about out of gas." Terra said. "Yeah? Well put all those old guys together with Piazza and Pedro and we'd still beat the Diamondbacks. How many of those guys are in their first year of major league play anyway?"

Terra was prepared to make a retort, but then a spark went off in her head. "What is it?" Eddie asked. "I think you just said something genius." "What?" Eddie asked, unsure about what was genius about theoretical baseball. "We can't put the old Mets against the new Diamondbacks, but we can still make that kind of match-up and get the others 'graduated' at the same time." Again, Eddie was stumped. But a second later, realization dawned. "Oh my God, that's brilliant! Let's run it past Brett and Sara, then make some phone calls." He said, as he got off the couch to do just that. "Man, I'm a genius even when I don't realize it." He said as Terra got up to follow him. "Well, I had to get those brains from somewhere." Terra said, as she followed. Eddie didn't stop walking, but he smiled a bit when he heard her say that. It wasn't 'Dad', but it was a step in the right direction.

_Three days later……_

The sun beat down on the island on a warm Saturday morning. Even though it was only midway through the spring season, it got hot quite fast in California, so the temperature was already eighty degrees by the time the New Titans arrived in the early afternoon. As the barge took the car onto the island, the car pulled onto the isle and three days opened almost instantly. "LAND!" Bart cried out, as he practically kissed the ground. The others echoed his statements. "C'mon, it wasn't that bad." Martin swore, as he too exited the car. "Dude, you drive like you're on cocaine!" Bart replied vehemently. "I still can't believe your dad let you drive that thing in public." "Or that he lets you drive." Lisa added. "The windows are tinted, no one can see in." Martin argued. "Whatever. Why did he send you to pick us up?" Rivers asked. "He said he had some work to do in the shop, and that I needed practice driving." Martin replied. "Well, he was definitely right about that." Bart said. "You little…." Martin swore, but Katie cut him off. "Guys, let's just go and do this ok? Besides, Mr. Stone said he'd drive us back." "Thank God." Bart replied. Martin glared, but backed off and the kids began to walk up the island.

However the group found something different when the reached the Tower. They found the Elementals standing there, as always. But this time, they found them standing there looking ready for the beach. Eddie and Brett were dressed in trunks, sandals, and T-shirts, while Sara wore an oversized tee and shorts. Only Terra was dressed in her uniform. "Are we missing something?" Rivers asked. "Or did we come to the wrong island?" "No, everything's right." Brett said with a smile. "See, you guys have become excellent heroes and perfected your skills. So today, we're taking a break." "Huh?" asked Martin. "I know this lagoon a few miles past the city. We'll be heading there today (The kids cheered) after you go through your last test (The kids stopped cheering)." "Last test?" Lisa asked. "You'll see in a few minutes. For now, just go get changed." Sara said. The kids looked at each other in confusion, but went inside the Tower.

A few minutes later, they emerged in their uniforms. "So what exactly is this thing?" Metallix asked. "I'm not really in the mood for an obstacle course." "It could be worse." Kestrel replied. "And what do you know that's worse?" he asked. "You don't want to know." Metallix would've elaborated on his question, but then Terra moved over to join the group. "Are you doing this with us?" Sunblaze asked in surprise. "Well, we thought the ranks should be even." "Even?" the young boy asked. But before Terra could answer, Owl yelled, "Look!" The New Titans looked up, in time to see a huge black object falling from the sky. Within seconds, it landed in front of them. The New Titans stared in wonder, but then their mouths dropped in shock as the black suddenly vanished. Behind them, Brett smiled and said, "The final test- New Titans vs. Teen Titans, winner-take-all."


	29. Rumble in the Jungle

Sorry for the wait everybody, but here it is, the fight between two generations of Titans.

Chap. 29

Rumble in the Jungle

For a moment, there was utter silence as the New Titans stared ahead. Their parents, the people who had raised them from birth, were gone. In their place were the costumed legends of which they had heard tales that boggled the mind. And now, they were supposed to battle the beings that were both legend and parent….

"Hey, good one Dad." Manimal said with a smile, as he walked over to Beast Boy and put his hand on his father's shoulder in an embrace. "I really thought we were gonna fight you."

"And why would you think that?" Beast Boy asked his son, in the same warm tone.

"Just those crazy teachers of mine." Manimal replied, gesturing to Brett and the other Knights. "Winner-take-all…. Oh that's good."

But Beast Boy just shook his head. "Bart, I meant why did you think it was a joke?"

"Because it is?" Manimal replied, with some uncertainty in his voice.

"Sorry Bart, but this is going to happen." Beast Boy said, as he gently removed his son's hand from his shoulder.

As realization finally dawned on Manimal's face, the other New Titans finally broke their paralysis and began to explode in a plethora of questions.

"Whose crazy idea…"

"How can you expect us to…"

"What are you thinking?"

This continued for about five minutes until Robin, using the same trick he had in the old days, stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out a loud, sharp whistle that silenced the chatter. As the New Titans turned to face him, Robin quickly began to explain what was going on.

"Listen guys, Eddie and Terra came up with this a way to 'graduate' you from the training program (this was followed by dark looks at the dog and his daughter, who both shrugged) and we thought it was a good idea. But we're not going to fight the way you think we are."

At that, Eddie walked up with a box of what looked like pendants. Taking one, he handed it to Robin. Holding it up, the former Titan leader said, "We're all going to be wearing these pendants, and the object is to get them off the opposing team to eliminate them. We _are _going to fight in order to do that, but it isn't going to be a to-the-death brawl."

"Well, I guess that's better." Sunblaze said. "But I still don't know about fighting you Dad."

"What, think you can't beat your old man?" Robin said with a grin.

"No it isn't that…." Sunblaze began, then stopped when he realized what he was saying.

"Um dude, I think we have to do this now." Metallix said. "You pretty much threw down the gauntlet."

"Oh lucky me." Sunblaze muttered, as both the Titans and Knights laughed.

"Come on guys, let's just get this started." Brett said, as he motioned to Eddie, who passed out the rest of the pendants. Turning to Sara, that bat whispered, "Never thought I'd live to see this day." Sara simply replied, "I'm more amazed that the old costumes still fit."

* * *

"Used-to-be Teen Titans, ready?" Brett asked a few moments later, as the two teams of Titans organized themselves on opposing sides. Robin and the others nodded.

"New Titans, ready?" This was met by more then a few nervous nods from the New Titans and a thumbs-up from Terra.

"Then…" the bat paused for dramatic effect, then with a long drawl, said, "LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEETS GET READY TO RUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMBLE!"

"TITANS GO!" Robin yelled, as the old Titans leapt into the fray.

"Come on guys!" Kestrel yelled as she and Terra ran out to meet them. The other New Titans looked at each other, then they followed.

Kestrel instantly went after Robin, who met her cutting talons with his staff, as he effectively blocked each of her strikes. "Come on, you were taught better then this!" Robin said mockingly as he dropped his staff, caught her arm, and threw her over him. But Kestrel rode the motion and as she was pulled back, she managed to flip in air, and land on her feet with her father's arm twisted around in a hammerlock. "Yes I was." Kestrel said, as she held Robin and began to reach for his pendant.

But before she could even come close to him, Kestrel felt something wrap around her waist and pull her away from Robin. Turning, she realized that the trunk of a huge green elephant was holding her. "Let me go!" she cried out, as she struggled against Beast Boy's grip. And then suddenly, he did. Kestrel felt herself fall to the ground as the trunk and elephant suddenly vanished. Landing on her feet once again, Kestrel began to look around, wondering where Beast Boy was now. But then, she got her answer as something began to run around inside her costume, tickling her to no end. Trying as best she could to suppress her laughter, Kestrel began to dance around, hoping to shake whatever animal Beast Boy was out of her tunic. Then she felt an arm wrap around her chest, and something pull off the pendant on her neck. "Sorry honey, but you're out." Robin said, as he released his daughter and a green rat leapt out of her shirtsleeve. Kestrel stumbled for a moment, then turned back to look at her father and Beast Boy with such a look of anger that Robin wondered if she had already forgotten her training. But Kestrel merely muttered something and walked off. "Good girl." Robin said under his breath.

"Hey Rob." Beast Boy said suddenly. "What is it, that ain't exactly water, and it ain't exactly earth?"

"Huh?" Robin said, as he turned to give Beast Boy a puzzled look. But a he turned, Robin realized that something was holding his feet down. Looking at his feet, Robin realized the answer to Beast Boy's question, though too late to get himself or Beast Boy out; "QUICKSAND!"

The two Titans quickly tried to pull themselves out, only to hear a familiar voice say, "Don't struggle, that just makes it worth." Both turned, to see Terra standing behind them. "Cool trick, huh?" the young Earth-mover said, as she looked at the two Titans. "I always wanted to try it."

Beast Boy started to make a comeback, but then he felt something cold and metal slide up his neck. There was a dual _snick, _and then both BB and Robin saw their pendants fall into the quicksand.  
"So that makes it two to one, right?" Metallix said, as he walked out from behind the two Titans. As his scissor hands reformed, the young boy smiled and said, "That _was_ a good plan Terra."

* * *

"Why couldn't your mom have super-speed or something?" Manimal panted, as he and Sunblaze ran from the airborne attack of Starfire.

"If she did, you'd want her to fly." Sunblaze panted back. "I don't suppose you have a plan other then running?"

"Actually, I might if you're willing to throw something at Mommy." Manimal said. Sunblaze nodded, and then he suddenly found himself holding a slimy, cold jellyfish. "I hate you." He muttered at Manimal, but he already grasped the plan. Suddenly, the young boy halted his run, then shot up into the sky. Starfire instantly came to a halt, as she watched her son fly over her.

"What is he doing?" she wondered, as Sunblaze sped over and away from her. But then she got an answer, as something slimy dropped onto her face. Crying out in surprise, Starfire tried to pull whatever it was off, but as she did so, she felt a hand wrap around the cord on her neck. Realizing what was going on, she quickly reached back and finding what she was looking for, pulled as hard as she could. For a second, the two forces were equal, and then there were two snaps and a backlash that sent both flying bodies backwards. The jellyfish lost its grip on Star's face, but changed into a hawk and managed to fly down to the ground. Looking up, Manimal saw both Starfire and Sunblaze come to a halt, then look down and realize they each held a pendant. Then they each realized that so did the other person.

"Well, that wasn't part of the plan." Manimal said as he watched both of them fly off the field.

"And neither was this." Said a voice from behind. Manimal whipped around, just in time to be struck by a bolt of pink energy. He didn't feel any pain, but a second later, there was a clank as the pendant fell to the ground.

"Aw man, bad luck." Manimal cried out.

"That's kind of the idea." Jinx answered. "Don't feel bad, I've had a lot of practice sneaking up on people like this."

But as Jinx said that, there was another _snick, _and another voice saying, "So have I Mom."

"_NICE." _Manimal said, as Jinx shook her head in amazement at her son.

* * *

Meanwhile, Owl dodged another blast of sound from Cyborg's sonic cannon.

"Come on, it's only set for stun." Cy called out teasingly, as he looked for the girl.

_Yeah that's encouragement. _Owl thought, as she tried to plan her next move. But before she could even start, she felt something cold wrap around her hands and feet. Before she could even start to figure out what it was, Owl suddenly felt herself being pulled upwards in the air and twirled around so she hung upside down in the air. Cyborg turned around then, and seeing her in such a state, laughed and said, "Nice move Raven."

"It always was one of my favorites." Said the empath, who suddenly rose up from a black portal in the ground. Owl then realized that what was holding her were four black energy orbs, covering her hands and feet.

"Well, let's get it off her." Cyborg said, as he reached for the pendant on Owl's neck. But before he could, the black orbs suddenly spread out over Owl's body and vanished, taking her with them. Starting in surprise, Cyborg asked, "Rae, did you…"

"Nope." Raven said, as she looked around, wondering where her daughter had disappeared to. But then she got her answer, as both she and Cyborg felt something cold cover their bodies, and then flip them over in the air. As they hung there, their bodies covered in black energy, a pair of hands suddenly rose up from the ground, and grabbing their pendants, removed them. The black energy vanished, and the two former Titans fell to the ground.  
"Great landing." Raven muttered, as Owl rose up from the ground.

"Sorry Mom." Owl replied sheepishly, as she helped Raven and Cyborg to their feet.

* * *

"Well, that was faster then I expected." Brett said a few minutes later, as both teams stood assembled in front of him. "But it doesn't matter. Ladies and gentlemen, the winners, The New Titans!"

There was cheering and applause from both sides at that announcement, then Sara said, "OK enough self-congratulations. Let's get going!"

"Wait, we don't have anything to wear." Katie said suddenly.

"Don't worry. Brett mentioned this whole thing to us a while back. We packed your everybody's suits into the T-Car before you left this morning." Raven said with a smile. "Go and have a good time."

"Yes mam!" Bart said with a grin, as he and the others headed to the garage to the T-Car. As the Titans watched their children walk off, they smiled, knowing that their children were finally ready to take on Slade. What they didn't know was that they wouldn't be around to see it.


	30. The Lagoon

Wow, thirty chapters.I never thought I could write anything this big, and I have only you reviewers to thank for it. Your constant support has helped me keep this story going and now, we're finally heading into the home stretch. Yep, soon we're going to see the final show down between the New Titans and Slade, who's gota whole new bag of tricks this time.

Now, that may take a little longer then I'd like, because I'm going on vacation next week, and I don't have a router. But I do have a laptop, so the chaps will be written and ready to upload when I get back. I might even get another chap or two up beofre that, so keep your eyes peeled.

Now then, read and enjoy!

Chap. 30

Lagoon

After the battle, the New Titans and Knights piled into the T-Car (with Brett behind the wheel, since he actually knew where the place was) and quickly headed back to the mainland. Once there, Brett hit the highway and they traveled for about half-an-hour, until Brett pulled off into an exit and drove into a nearby forest. Driving the car into an open spot in the woods, Brett activated the security system and the group exited.

"Shouldn't there be some water here or something?" Martin asked, as the group exited the car.

"Soon enough." The bat answered with a smile. "The point of having a secret lagoon is that no one else knows where it is."

"So where are we going?" rivers asked. Brett raised his hand and pointed to the woods, which stretched back for about ten miles.

"Are you telling me we're going on a hike?" Eddie asked with a moan. "Dude, you did not mention this."

"Calm down, it isn't a hike." The bat replied. "We should be there in about fifteen minutes. But I'd suggest getting changed now."

The group agreed, and after arguing over what space was reserved for who, they managed to prepare for the journey ahead. And true to his word, Brett did not lead them on a hike. Granted, there were rocks, roots, and more bugs then there in the bayous of Louisiana, but it was too short to be a hike. But then, Brett came to a space covered by the long leaves of two weeping willows. Reaching out, Brett pulled them aside, and said, "Welcome to paradise."

As the others walked through the doorway and onto the rock platform behind it, they gasped at the realization that Brett hadn't lied. The place that lay before them could very well be paradise. The lagoon was huge, stretching close to a mile wide. Vines grew down the rock walls, and a huge waterfall spouted from the left side, creating a myriad of rainbows. "Oh my God." Terra whispered as she looked it over in amazement.

"Amazing isn't it?" Brett breathed as he looked around. "It gets more beautiful every time I come here."

"How'd you find out about it?" Lisa asked.

"I was flying around here one day, and I noticed from up high. I came down to check it out, and the rest is history."

"You know, speaking of flying high, how do we get down to the water?" Martin asked. Indeed, the cliff wall they were on was about thirty feet above the water.

"Easy." Brett replied. "You let gravity carry you down."

"Huh?" Bart asked. "You jump." Eddie replied.

At that, the group of young heroes got more then a few nervous looks. "Oh come on, it isn't that high." Sara said with a laugh. "I've even done this a few times. Are you really saying you can fight insane criminals, but you can't jump off a cliff? I mean most of you can fly!"

But the nervous looks remained. Sara shook her head, and said, "Fine, watch me, you sissies." With that, Sara pulled off her shirt, revealing a red bikini over a surprisingly toned and muscular body (more surprisingly, the fur and tail seemed to add to her beauty). The fox kicked off her shoes, and walked over to the edge. Standing over it, she looked over at the New Titans, shook her head again, and with no hesitation, leapt over the edge. Everyone ran over then, to watch her descend through the air, and land in the water with a splash. After a second, she bobbed up to the surface and floated away, looking up at the others in anticipation.

"GOD, I love that woman!" Brett breathed through his teeth. Ripping off his own shirt and shoes, the bat ran over the edge and hit the water a few seconds later. After that, Eddie and the others looked at each other, and then the dog said, "Well, guess there's only one choice left now." "Find stairs?" Rivers asked. Eddie stared a moment, then said, "Get ready to jump, you sissy."

It took a little more time after that, but finally, all the New Titans had leapt off into the water. And once they had, everyone wished they had done it sooner. The water was unbelievably cool, and there were enough rock isles around to make for some really fun games. This included one that Bart and Martin thought up when they discovered that two large isle were close enough for a sport they called.

"Water Gladiators?" Rivers asked again, as Bart swam in front of him.

"Yeah, it's like American Gladiators but with noodles and water." Bart explained.

"I think I'll pass." Rievrs said, as he leaned back onto the rock he was sunbathing on.

"Aw come on, we're making teams, it'll be fun.' Bart said.

"Look, if they're not even call me, but otherwise count me out." Rivers said.

"Suit yourself." Bart said. "But you're missing the chance to get hit in the face with a wet noodle."

Rivers laughed at that as Bart swam away, then turned to look at the small rock island in the center of the water. He was about to swim out to it, but then he saw something that stopped him in his tracks. A pair of hands appeared on the side of the isle, and then with a splash, Katie pulled herself up onto it. Now, that action only took about ten seconds at most, but for Rivers, it was a slow-motion eternity. He stared as Katie's body emerged from the water, dripping from everywhere. Her black one-piece suit clung to her body, enhancing every single curvy aspect. Rivers felt his mouth drop open as Katie pulled her legs up onto the isle, putting her in a kneeling position. For a second, Katie leaned forward, her long hair dripping in front of her face. Then with a sudden snap, she flung it backwards, arching her body back. Rivers stared at the exquisite pose, as he realized he could not longer be looking at a girl; this had to be an angel, sent to him as a vision from above. As if to prove him right the sun shone down making the water on her face sparkle, as if she was covered in liquid diamonds……..

"Hey Rivers, you ok?" said a voice suddenly, breaking Rivers out of his trance.

"Huh?" the young boy sputtered, as he turned to see Eddie standing behind him. "Oh, uuh, yeah, I'm fine." Rivers spat out, his mind clearly distracted.

In fact, Rivers was so distracted, that he failed to notice the amused/shocked expression on the dog's face. Speaking in a very tight sounding voice, as if he was trying very hard not to laugh, Eddie said, "Listen, I wanted to tell you that Bart wanted you for his team over by the other side. Please say yes, he won't shut up about it."

"Oh, great, sure, love to play." Rivers said, as he almost instantly slid into the water. As he started to swim off towards them, Eddie said, "Rivers hold on a second!"

The young boy paused in the water, and Eddie said, "While you're there, and actually on the way, think about baseball. Think about baseball very, very, hard."

"Why? Oh, is it some sort of mind over matter training thing that'll help me play better?" Rivers asked, his mind calmed a bit now that he was out of sight of the isle.

"You might say that." Eddie said, his face very tight and his lips pressed together. Rivers nodded, and continued to swim off. Eddie waited until Rivers was out of range, and then he turned to the wall and began to laugh until he thought it would kill him.

"He didn't even realize….. oh man….. poor, naïve kid." Eddie managed to get out between laughs. Finally, after a few minutes, he managed to calm himself enough to speak calmly. "Well, at least I know how he feels about her. Well, one way at least." Eddie said, as he looked over to the isle were Katie still was, watching the game between the others. "Bet it was just like Bo Derek in _10 _for him. Dave Chapelle was right, everything is better in slow motion!"

* * *

Thankfully, no one other then Eddie saw what happened with Rivers, and the dog had enough sense not to say anything it to anyone. The rest of the day passed quietly, and eventually the New Titans returned to the T-Car and drove home. As the group pulled into Jump City, Brett turned in the direction of their suburb, coming to Katie and Bart's house first. Pulling up on the side of the street, the bat turned to his grandchildren and asked, "So did you two have a good time today?"

"Most definitely." Bart said with a happy grin on his face.

"I still can't believe how beautiful that place was. Thank you Grampa." Katie said, as she leaned forward and gave the bat a kiss on his furry cheek.

As Brett smiled, and seemed to blush under his fur, Sara said, "Hey it was my idea too!" Katie laughed and then kissed her grandmother goodbye. As Bart gave his goodbye hugs and thanks, Katie popped the door open and slipped out. Bart followed a few minutes later, and the two waved, as the T-Car shot off.

"I hope we get more sessions like this." Bart said, as they headed up the walk to the door.

"Good luck with that Bart." Katie replied. "I severely doubt they'll let us start having fun all the time now."

"You never know." Said Bart, as they reached the porch. He reached out to turn the doorknob, but at his lightest touch, the door swung open. "Guess Mom and Dad were expecting us." Bart said, as he and Katie walked inside.

"Mom? Dad? We're home." Katie called out, as she dropped her bag on the ground. But the only response they received was silence. "I guess they went out for something." Bart said. "Guess so." Katie replied. "I'm gonna get some food, you want anything?"

"Naw, I'm just gonna check out the tube for awhile." he replied. Katie nodded, and the two went their separate ways. Now, you might have suspected what's going on before our young heroes. I'll be truthful here, only one of them is going to truly understand what happens at first. Which one you ask? Who is going to learn the truth that their house holds tonight? Let's find out, shall we…..

Katie walked into the dark kitchen, all lights shut off. It didn't really matter to her though; Katie knew this house better then she knew her own hand. Dark or light, she could make her way through it, and that was what she did, moving through the dark to the fridge. Opening it, she looked inside; hoping to find the container of blueberries Raven had bought before. After moving a few things aside, she managed to find them and pulled them out. Opening it up, Katie popped a few in her mouth, enjoying the rich flavor. Closing the door, Katie then walked past to the light switch, so she could see enough to grab the bowl her parent's had designated 'Katie's Blueberry Bowl," since she had stained about ten bowls with blueberry juice (she liked to crush them a little before she ate, and the juice always went in the bowl.) _And they still put it in the dishwasher. _She thought, as she flipped the switch off.

But when the light came on, and Katie took a look at the cabinet, her thoughts of blueberries went out the door. The container fell from her lifeless hands, and hit the floor, scattering berries everywhere. But that didn't matter. What mattered was the smashed and ruined cabinet. What mattered was the destroyed crockery pieces that lined the countertop. What mattered was the stains on the wall, the strange red stains, that looked so much like…..

"Oh my God." Katie breathed, as she stared in horror. Slowly, she backed away from the walls and the room, until she had begun to turn and run into the TV Room. Almost instantly, she saw her brother and grabbed him. "Bart something's happened!" she cried out, as Bart stared ahead. "I think Mom and Dad are in trouble. We have to call Grandma and Grandpa and tell them what's happened!" But Bart just stared ahead. "Bart, didn't you hear a word I said?" Katie said, as she shook him. "What the hell are you looking at?" she said, as she turned around. But then she stared in horror to, as she saw…..


	31. The Begining of the End

Well, i didn't think I'd be putting this up before Saturday, but I got a working connection today! Anyway, the Scientology thing; I don't believe in it, but I'm not putting down anyone who does, if it gives you some comfort, then so be it. What I am putting down is whatever crazy branch (and this exists in every religion) that Tom Cruise has been promoting, cause that dude is out of his fucking mind! Anyway, hope I didn't offend, and enjoy!

Chap. 31

Beginning of the End

"Are you serious?" Sara asked again, as the Knights walked up the stairs to the main room of the Tower. The group had just finished dropping the New Titans off at their homes a while ago, and since Cyborg had decided to let them keep the T-Car at the Tower (Martin had actually used a remote control to bring it to a hidden meeting place before), it had been a relatively speedy trip. However, as the group returned home, Eddie had decided to let them in on some very interesting circumstances that had occurred at the lagoon…..

"Serious as I possibly can be." The dog replied. "Rivers actually failed to realize he was aroused. And he didn't get the baseball thing at all."

"Well, at least we know how he feels about Katie." Terra said, as they walked inside the main room. Almost instantly, the young earthmover hopped on the couch and flipped on the TV.

"We know one way anyway." Sara said, as the TV flickered in the background. "Still this could certainly go somewhere. Brett, what do you think?" The bat however, was silent, as he moved over to a chair and all but fell into it.

"Honey, are you ok with this?" Sara asked, as she moved over to her husband. "You didn't say a word when Eddie started talking about it. I know that it's hard to think about, but we all knew how Katie feels about Rivers. This may not be the best sign from him, but it's in the right direction."

Brett sighed, and replied, "I know. I am happy that Rivers seems to feel something towards her, but it's just unsettling to hear that your granddaughter gave some kid a 'good feeling.'"

"OK, bad choice of words." Eddie admitted. "But now that you mention it, how come this doesn't bother you Sara?"

"What, hearing that some boy thinks Katie is attractive? Why would that bother me?" Sara answered. "Besides, we all know Rivers is the most trustworthy person on the team. I'd rather see the two of them together then for Katie to spend all her time regretting not being able to get him."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Brett said. "But still, it's kinda…" But the bat never got to finish, because then the phone started ringing. All four Elementals stopped and looked at it then, because this wasn't an ordinary phone. Eddie and Cyborg had set up a phone line that was connected to each of the New Titans' homes, in case of any kind of emergency. After dialing a special number for the Tower, the New Titan would have to enter a final three-digit code to finish the connection or be transferred to a Scientology hotline (a precaution against anyone outside the loop dialing the number by mistake as well as keeping them from ever dialing it again). Therefore, the group knew that whoever was calling had a problem, but after dropping the kids off so soon, none of them could imagine what it was. As they all looked at each other in surprise and concern, Brett walked over and picked up the phone, as Terra shut off the TV.

"Hello?" the bat said into the mouthpiece. As the others watched, Brett suddenly put both hands against the phone and pressed it against his head, as if he was having trouble hearing.

"Katie, is that you?" he said into the phone, trying to keep his voice calm. "What is it honey, what's wrong?" As the other's concern continued to grow, Brett tried to reason with the girl on the other line. "Katie, you have to calm down, I can't understand what you're saying. Please, tell me what's going on so I can help." That seemed to do it, as Brett was able to carry on a conversation after that. "OK, you guys went into the house, and….. Good Lord, are you sure? How bad was it? Are you and Bart ok? Good, what else happened? There's something in the living room? What does it say…..?" This was the point where the Elementals' concern became fear, as Brett actually paled underneath his black fur, and he gripped the phone almost hard enough to break it. But despite this, he kept his voice calm and said into the phone, "I'm coming to get you. Stay there."

With that, he hung up the phone and turned to face the others, with a face that seemed to have aged ten years. "What is it?" Sara asked, her fear of the unknown more then equaling her husband's fear of what he had heard. Brett ran a hand through his hair, and then he spoke, in a raggedy voice.

"Katie and Bart went inside and the house was a wreck. It looks like something tore through it. And Beast Boy and Raven are gone."

"Gone!" Terra asked in shock. "Do they have any idea…"

"One." Brett replied. "Katie said there was a message written above the TV on the wall. A message written in what looks like blood."

"What did it say?" Eddie asked grimly.

"I have them in the palm of my hand. Come out and play." The bat answered. "It was signed with an S, with both ends curved back."

"That's Slade's symbol." Terra gasped. "But how could he do this? He can't escape for another week. This is impossible!"

"I thought so too, but apparently it isn't." Brett answered as the leadership came back into his voice. "It doesn't matter, because we need to deal with it. I'm going to get Katie and Bart and bring them here. But if it happened to Raven and Beast Boy, it could've happen to any of them. So Sara, go to Star and Robin's. If they're there, bring them here along with Lisa and Rivers. If not, bring whomever you can find. Eddie, you go to Cy and Jinx's and do the same. Terra, you stay here in case anyone else calls. Tell them that we're on our way."

The Elementals all nodded their agreement and almost instantly went to their tasks. Sara vanished in a ray of light, and Eddie crumbled away a second later. Seeing they were gone, Brett closed his eyes and vanished into the shadows.

"Are they coming?" Bart whispered, as Katie hung up the phone.

"Yeah, Grampa says he's on his way." Katie answered, trying to sound as confident as possible for her brother. Ever since they'd found the writing on the wall, Bart had been deathly silent. When Katie had gone to the phone to call for help, he'd had curled up into a ball on the couch and hadn't moved or spoken since.

Sighing, Katie sat down next to Bart, and hugged him as much as she possibly could. "We'll get through this Bart." She whispered. "We'll find Mom and Dad and bring them back. Everything will be ok again." But as Bart trembled against her and she looked around at her broken home, Katie wondered how much she believed her own words. Everything they'd been going through in the last few months, all the training, all the battles, none of it had prepared them for this. This loss, this fear, was something they had never expected. Brett and the others had spoken about it, but none of the New Titans had ever expected it to truly happen, at least not like this. Katie didn't know what the others had thought about their new roles, but for her, the fear was always in that she would mess up on the field. That she would prove to be a disappointment to her grandfather and her parents, to their legacy. She had never once thought about losing this part of her life, losing the home and the people she held most dear. Bart had been different; he'd seen this as a great adventure, the ultimate ride. He'd only seen the glory of being a hero, never the downfall, and certainly nothing like this. That, more then anything, was what was causing his reaction; the realization that being a hero has as much tragedy as glory.

_Did this happen to the others too?_ Katie wondered, as her thoughts moved on past her brother.. _Are they in their homes, worried about their parents? What are we going to do if that did happen? _Before she could answer that question though, Katie saw the shadows around her and Bart begin to move around and shift. For a second, Katie was filled with fear, and began to activate her powers. But then the shadows parted, and Brett walked through. Seeing him, Katie let out a gasp of relief and calmed down. But his coming had much more of an effect on Bart, who leapt off the couch and into his grandfather's arms.  
"Grampa!" the young shape shifter cried out as he wept into the bat's clothes.

"Shh, shh, it's ok now." Brett whispered, as Katie came over as well. Wrapping his arms around both his grandchildren, the bat said, "Grampa's here now, and I'm going to fix this. I'm going to get your parents back, if I have to dig down to hell and fight the devil himself. I'm going to make everything ok again."

After both Bart and Katie seemed calm, Brett slowly disengaged and said, "Listen, I'm going to take both of you back to the Tower, but first, I need to see this message. There might be a clue in it I can use. Do you two want to stay here while I look?" Both kids nodded their heads. "All right, stay here and call me if anything else happens."

Slowly, Brett made his way into the living room. He was filled with just as much fear over this as the kids were. Brett had very little family in the world, and the idea of losing Raven, the daughter he had fought so hard for, and even Beast Boy, who had become both a friend and a son to him, was something the bat could not comprehend. Therefore, when he finally made his way to the message, it took him at least four minutes to raise his head high enough to truly see it. For the bat was terrified he would see that the blood it was written in would be from his children. For such a grim skill was part of being the Knight of Shadow, the ability to 'read' death simply by looking at its signs, especially blood. Slowly, the bat looked it over, waiting for the inner knowledge that would tell him what he feared to know. But after a few moments, he saw that this blood was not human, not even half. Brett sighed with relief, and seeing nothing else he could use, walked back into the room where his grandchildren were.

"Did you see anything?" Katie asked as he reentered the room.

"Nothing." Brett replied. "Now, let's get out of here." With that, he placed both arms around them, and called the shadows once again….

Darkness surrounded them for a moment, and when it faded, Katie and Bart found themselves in the main room of Titans Tower. As they looked around, they saw that Rivers, Lisa, and Martin were all there as well.

"You guys too?" Katie asked, her worst fear now being realized.

Lisa nodded, and Katie could see that she was close to tears. "Everything was a wreck." The ebony-haired girl began to say. "And the message… we should've been there. We could've… we could've…."

But that was all she could get out, and Lisa collapsed into sobs a moment later. Rivers caught his sister and hugged her tight, as her tears mixed with his. Martin looked on from the side, his face neutral, but his eyes echoing sympathy for the two.

"Did you find anything at the other houses?" Brett asked Sara and Eddie, as the siblings comforted each other.

"I did. It was buried in the wall next to that damn message." Eddie said, his voice tight.

"What?" the bat asked, hoping for anything that might help them understand this.

"Good news and bad news." Sara answered, as she showed her husband the one piece of evidence that she and Eddie had managed to uncover. Eyes wide, Brett gingerly took it and stared in horror. The object he held was a metal pole, about half the length of a billiard stick. The end was wrapped in leather that was quite worn, as if it had been gripped multiple times. The pole ended in a large, spiked, metal ball better known as a mace. Slowly, Brett turned it over, as if to make sure it was real. He turned back to Eddie and Sara, ready to ask questions, but before he could, Terra's voice rang out.

"You know what that is, don't you?"

Slowly, the bat turned to face the young earthmover. "They won't tell me what it means." She said, as the other Titans came up beside her. "Does it belong to one of you? Is it some kind of demon weapon? Please, tell me."

Slowly, Brett held up the mace and began to speak. "This belongs to your uncle Carter." The bat said. "He's also the Elemental Knight of Metal, Forger. If Slade left this here, it means three things. One, the Titans _are_ alive. Two, that he's trapped them in limbo with the Knights. Three, that if we ever want to see any of them again, we have to figure out how Slade got out, and send him back in, or else the world and our friends and family are doomed.


	32. Anniversary

Chap. 32

Anniversary

Unfortunately such things are easier said then done, and this was no exception. Over the next few hours, Brett and the others ran through hundreds of theories and explanations as to how Slade could have come back. But none of them could hold water, and most of the New Titans were under enough stress with the loss of their parents. Some of them couldn't stand to listen to the talks after a while and left to their rooms to deal with their anguish. One of those few was Martin, but he didn't stay alone for long, as another figure entered the door and moved towards him….

"What do you want?" Martin asked, as Bart came up next to him. The boy just shrugged and sat down. Since Brett had brought him to the Tower, Bart had barely spoken. Seeing what had happened at his home had silenced his happy-go-lucky personality, and none of the others knew how to help him or had the time. Martin however, didn't really care right now. He and Bart had never really gotten along any better then they had their first day, and Martin was too worried about his own parents to try to comfort anybody.

_Why did I get involved in this?_ Martin thought to himself. _I didn't want to do it when they asked me, and I just wanted to control my powers. Now my parents are gone, and I can't do anything about it. What good are these stupid powers if I can't help the people I care about? What good are they if I can't save…_

Martin stopped them, as he felt something brush up against his shoulder. Looking to his side, he saw that Bart had fallen up against his side, and was leaning there like a cat or something. For a second, Martin's lip curled and he started to push him away. But as he did so, he got a look at the boy's face. He saw the fear in Bart's eyes, and the frustration etched into his face. As he kept looking, Martin knew that the same things were evident in his face. It was then that he heard a voice in his head, a voice that sounded exactly like his father.

_His parents are gone too. How can you push him aside when he's suffering the same things you are? I raised you better then that Martin. And they trained you better then that. You didn't just get trained in how to use your powers, you got to see real heroes in action. You got to **be** one. Being a hero doesn't mean that you tell everyone else to screw off when you have problems. He needs your help, so give it to him._

As the voice faded away, Martin sighed, because he knew it was right. Slowly, he brought up his arm, and draped it over Bart's shoulder. Pulling the boy in close, Martin began to whisper, "It's gonna be ok kid." At that, Bart, actually looked up into Martin's face, as if he was in disbelief. Martin kept going though.

"I know how you feel. I'm scared too. I don't know if we can get them out, and I don't know if they're ok wherever they are. I keep wondering, what if they never get out? What if it's our fault? But we can't do that. We can't stop believing because then Slade's already won. We have to believe, no, to _know_ our parents are ok, and that we will get them out."

"But how can we know?" Bart whispered back, the first words he'd uttered since coming to the Tower.

"Because we have faith. And besides, do you really think anything in this limbo place can take down your mom when she's pissed off? Or my dad when he's miffed? Or any of them, for that matter?"

Bart had to shake his head at that, and as he did, a smile crept into his face. "I remember one time, I accidentally rode my bike through Mom's garden. She dragged me into the house and really started yelling at me. She got so mad the oven actually exploded! She got real quiet after that, and made Dad punish me when he got home."

"Oh that's nothing." Martin shot back. This one time, I was working on a science project that was all about magnets. Dad was helping me and we were arguing about something. He got so angry he grabbed one of the really big magnets and threw it. It went through the wall and kept going into the kitchen! It hit Mom in the back of the head and knocked her into the soup she was making for dinner. When we got in there, her hair was dripping with split pea soup. She must've yelled at Dad for two hours when she found out what happened. Best part was that they couldn't punish me for anything and they blamed it on weak walls."

"Yeah, it always sucks when Dad punishes me." Bart said. "He always bans me from the video games for two weeks."

"Hey my dad too." Martin answered. "Tell me, do you think he just does that so he has more time to play?"

"Oh God yes!" Bart answered. "Whenever he does it, I can always hear noises at night from the living room."  
"Does he start screaming when he can't beat Zelda too?"

"Yeah.., hey you play Zelda?"

"Best game ever. It was the only reason I made Dad buy me a Gamecube. I bought Wind Waker and the redo they did for Ocarina of Time. I'm hoping they make another one for Majora's Mask. Of course, I also hope they release Twilight Princess before I die."

"I know just what you mean. I've gone to the store for about three release dates, and every time I heard, "Oh they pushed it back." I mean, I'm dying to see that wolf Link thing."

"Oh, I know! Plus, Wind Waker was great and everything, but this one just looks so much better. The graphics…"

Bart would've answered and the two of them would've talked until the end of this story, but Katie came into the room.   
"Hey guys, Brett says he's got someone who might be able to help us, but he needs everybody in the main room."

"Sure sis. Let's go." Bart said, as he eagerly leapt of the chair and into the hallway. Katie watched her brother in amazement, and then turned back to Martin.

"What did you say to him?" she asked. Martin just shrugged. "I just said we'd get through this, then we started comparing stories about our parents, then we talked about The Legend of Zelda."

"Well, you must've done a really good job." Katie said, as she leaned over and gave Martin a quick kiss on the cheek. Martin turned right away, so that she couldn't see him blush. "Oh come on then.' Katie said with a laugh, as she pulled Martin to his feet.

A few minutes later, the two of them reached the main room. The others were gathered around the main screen, as the expert Brett had mentioned discussed theories with them. But as the others had done at first view of the screen, Katie and Martin stopped in their tracks and started in amazement. The figure on the screen noticed them however, and asked Brett, "Cyborg's son, and your granddaughter?"

The bat turned then, and noticed the two of them. "Hey guys, just in time. Lemme just speed through the introductions; Katie and Martin, Batman. Batman, Martin and Katie."

The Dark Knight nodded his greetings, while Katie and Martin just meekly raised their hands. Slowly they walked over to the main screen, but once they were close enough to Eddie, they grabbed and whispered, "We have the Batman's number!"

"He was Robin's teacher you know?" the dog replied. "Besides, this isn't the first time we asked him for help. Who do you think helped Kestrel?" As the two of them stared in shock at that, Eddie turned back to the screen and asked, "So what do you think of the message?"

Batman responded almost instantly; "If I've learned anything from the Riddler, it's that the answer is always right in front of you. Does the palm of my hand phrase mean anything to you?"

"Nothing I can think of." Brett replied. "But it must be related to how Slade got out so early."

The Batman was quiet then, as his mind worked everything over. Then he asked, "What was so important about the original date?"

"It was the weakest point for the gates separating the earth and the other worlds." Sara replied. "It was the most important date we could think off."

"But you immediately went for that date without looking at the surrounding time frame. Does anything else happen before that date?"

"Other then a few holidays nothing." Brett answered.

"Not totally." Katie said. As all eyes turned to her, Katie looked away and began to speak in a quiet, shy voice. "Well, I just thought, this is kinda connected to my mom right?"

"Right." Brett said.

"Well, every year she gets kinda weird around May 16th and that's today. Usually, it makes her really depressed and moody. But it never lasts the whole day; in fact, it stops after about six."

"Six o' clock on May 16th. That's three hours from now. Does that mean anything else in relation to Raven?" Batman asked, pressing Brett to think. "May 16th, May 16th…."

Suddenly, the bat's eyes went wide. His jaw dropped, and he finally said, "That was… the day and time Raven brought Trigon to Earth."

"But what difference does that make?" Eddie asked. "Even if Trigon could come back on that day, the prophecy's over. He can't use it, and besides, he needs one of his spawn to bring him back."

"It's possible that whatever power he gave Slade made him a spawn over time, and that could've given him full resurrection by now." Batman answered. "And if I remember the reports correctly, the spot where Trigon emerged was full of dark energy. It may still be there."

"And the palm of my hand…." Brett mused a moment longer, then said grimly, "I know where he is. Come on."


	33. Return of the Gem

Chap. 33

Return of the Gem

About twenty minutes later, just enough time for the group to change into their uniforms, the T-Car shot out of the Tower garage. After using the ferry to reach the land, Nightstalker steered it through the dark city night, journeying deeper and deeper into the city. As they traveled, the New Titans looked at each other in confusion, not understanding where they were going, or what their purpose was. Only Sara and Eddie shared Brett's grim look, for only they had any idea what was going on, and the dark implications that it brought. But knowing did not lessen their fear; it made it grow.

After close to an hour and a half of traveling, Brett finally screeched the T-Car to a halt. "We're here." He said, as the New Titans began to exit the car.

"And what's here?" Manimal asked, as he looked around. Indeed, there was nothing around in this abandoned part of the city, except a large pile of rubble in front of them.

"I'm guessing this used to be someplace?" Sunblaze asked.

"You'd be right. There used to be a library here." Lightweaver answered.

"So we came here to return some overdue books? I think we're a little late." Manimal said.

"It just looked like a library." Nightstalker replied, as he began to move through the rubble. "But there was nothing in here that should ever be read. And there were things in the basement that nearly spelled the end of the world."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Terra asked, as she rubbed her arms, against a cold she couldn't feel on her body, but in her soul.

"You'll find out." Groundquake answered, coming close to her. "Just stay close to me."

Before anyone else could ask a questions, Nightstalker pushed aside a large piece of rubble, and found what he was looking for. "Everyone, over here." He called out. As the New Titans gathered around him, the bat reached down and pulled the trapdoor open, revealing a long flight of stairs that led deep into the ground.

"We're going down there?" Kestrel asked, her voice tight.

"Yes. And I doubt we'll be alone when we get there." 'Stalker answered.

"Good." Kestrel answered, as her eyes narrowed. The young girl pushed aside Manimal and Terra and would've gone down first had Nightstalker not taken her arm.

"I lead the way. There's things down here you don't know how to deal with." The bat said.

"Slade's down there. He has my parents. I want the first shot at him." Kestrel answered back.

"You'll get it. But until then, you are going to listen to me and wait in the line."

Kestrel was quiet, but after a moment nodded her acceptance. 'Stalker nodded his thanks, and turned to the others. "The order doesn't matter except for one thing. Owl, I want you at the back."

"OK." She replied, trusting her grandfather's knowledge. With that, Nightstalker turned and headed down the stairs. One by one, the others followed, leaving Owl for last, as instructed. The young girl watched them walk down, sticking to her orders. Finally, Sunblaze headed down and Owl followed. Slowly, she made her way onto the stairs, not knowing what to expect. But the second that she put her foot on the first step, Owl felt something perverse in the air, something evil. But that faded in seconds, only to be replaced by a series of images that bombarded her mind without warning.

Owl staggered as she saw a city destroyed and engulfed in flame, stone statues lining the street, and from the ruins of the Tower, a huge figure, that looked over all he surveyed and laughed at it's destruction. As Owl watched, she felt herself being drawn to the figure, closer and closer, until she was right in front of its laughing face. The face noticed her then, and it looked at her. But it was so encased in shadow that none of it could be seen, save four glowing red eyes. Terrified, Owl brought up her arms, trying to escape the terror….

"Katie! Katie are you all right?"

"Huh?" Slowly, Owl drew her arms away from her face, and saw Sunblaze in front of her, his arms on her shoulders.

"What happened?" she asked groggily.

"I'm not sure. I turned to make sure you were following us, and you were staring off into space. After a minute, you started to look like something was coming after you and you drew up your hands. That's when I started to wake you up. What happened?"

"I-I'm not sure." Owl answered, shaking her head to clear the cobwebs. "But I think I'm ok."

"You sure now?" Sunblaze asked.

"Yeah. Let's keep going."

"All right. But be careful, I don't want anything to happen to you." Sunblaze said, as he turned away quickly to hide his blushing face. As he walked off, Owl gave a small smile and followed.

The New Titans worked their way down the stairs for what seemed like an eternity. But eventually, the stairs ended into a huge corridor. But Nightstalker simply told the group to make their way through it, and kept walking. After a moment's hesitation, the others followed. This time, the trip was much shorter. The corridor ended after a few minutes, leading into a gigantic room, littered with rubble. A column of light shone down from the ceiling, right into the largest pile.

"What is this place?" Terra asked, as she looked around in fear and awe.

"It seems… familiar." Owl said. "Grampa, what is…."

"Do you know what happened to Raven after Trigon took her in her dreams?" Nightstalker asked.

"The Tower said she vanished into the city." Terra answered.

"She came to the city, but she didn't vanish." 'Stalker answered. "She came here. This place is the entire reason she was drawn to Jump City. This is a, well I didn't want to steal from _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_, but it works best. This is a Hellgate. A spot where Hell pokes it's way through the surface of Earth and draws those sensitive to evil through its call."

"But why would Slade come here?" Sunblaze asked, as Owl trembled a bit at the words. "You said before that Trigon was damned by Heaven and Hell. So I doubt they'd help his servant."

"Because this Hellgate is special." Nightstalker answered. "This is a Hellgate that was never supposed to be made, and one that both sides have done their best to close. This Hellgate goes right into the part of Hell where Trigon is damned. He can't escape through it, but his power sometimes leaks through. It's why there used to be a huge stone hand over in that lightsteam; to symbolize Trigon breaking through. That's how I knew it was here, and tonight, the anniversary of Trigon's emergence, the day of weakness for this Hellgate, if someone knows how to exploit it. If Slade was going to come from anywhere, it would be here."

"Bravo, Nightstalker." Said a voice that all in the room recognized. "I was wondering how long my little puzzle would throw you off."

"Slade!" Terra sneered as her eyes glowed in anger. "Come out here and show yourself! We've got some unfinished business to take care off!"

"Why Terra, what a surprise. I didn't think that you'd ever wake up from our last little encounter. Of course, I shouldn't be surprised. I didn't see you down there either, so you had to be alive."

"Shut up!" Terra screamed back, as the others tried to figure out where the voice was coming from. "What did you do with the Titans? Bring them back!"

"And why would I do that? They're not in pain where they are. Of course, they're not truly happy either; the little problem with limbo."

"Enough Slade." Nightstalker said. "Come out and let's do this. Stop hiding in the dark."

"Poor Nightstalker, always so impatient. Truthfully, I'd like to fight, but I can't. Being a disembodied soul has that drawback."

"But then how did you get the Titans?" Metallix asked.

"I can appear fully in your world for a time, but I'm afraid if you ever want to see your parents again, I'm going to have to be alive."

"Forget it Slade." Owl said, his firm voice hiding her fear. "Our parents would never want us to help you. Besides, how could we possibly do that?"

"Don't you know?" Slade answered. "It isn't what they can do, it's what you can do. All you have to do is tap into the power that your mother gave you. The power your real grandfather gave her. You see, he needed someone to wish him out too. Someone that was akin to him. Trigon may not be able to escape anymore, but I can. All I need it a Trigon spawn to wish me out, and look what I have here."

"I'll never help you." Owl said through gritted teeth.

"My dear, in this place, with my power, you don't have a choice."

Before anyone could question that, Owl suddenly began to scream in pain. Collapsing to the floor, she writhed in agony as the others ran over.

"Oh my God, what's wrong? What's happening to her?" Sunblaze asked in horror as he watched her squirm on the ground.

"I don't know, just hold her down before she hurts herself." Metallix answered, as he held her arms down on the ground. Sunblaze nodded, and quickly moved to hold her legs. But a second later, both of them loosened their grips as something else began to happen. As they watched in horror, red marks began to cover Owl's body, spreading over her skin and clothes. The two Titans didn't know what it meant, but Nightstalker took one look and he knew.

Whirling around, he screamed, "Goddamnit she's not yours! Get away from her!"

"Oh isn't she? Isn't this her legacy, her duty? The power in is in her; the gem has been re-forged. Now, let her release me, or the pain will never end, and you will never see your Knights or Titans again."

The voice faded away, as Owl's cries of pain followed. Slowly, she brought herself up, only to stare at her hands a moment later. Seeing them, she looked at Nightstalker with a look that remained him so fiercely of her mother, he had to avert his eyes for a minute.

"Grampa, what is this? What's happening to me?" she asked, holding out her glowing palms.

The Nightstalker was silent a moment, then answered; "Something I didn't ever want to see. Those markings are Trigon's symbols. He's put the same power into you that he did into Raven. And you have to use it the same way. Katie, the only way we can get out of this and save the others, is for you to call Slade back into the world like Raven called Trigon."

"Brett no!" Lightweaver said, as she grabbed his arm. "You can't make her do that; if we let Slade out there's no telling what could follow."

"And if we don't, Raven and the others stay in limbo and Katie will have to deal with this for the rest of her life." Nighststalker answered. "This was his plan all along, to make us let him out into the world, and I don't see any way out of it."

"But.." Lightweaver began, only to have Owl put up her own hand in protest. "Grandma, he's right." Slowly, the girl rose to her feet as she kept speaking. "There's nothing else we can do. I have to save them, and this is the only chance we have do it."

"But Katie," Sunblaze said, frantically trying to reason with the girl. "when your mom did this, it nearly destroyed her. What if that happens to you?"

"Slade doesn't have that much power." Nightstalker said.

"What if you're wrong?" the young boy cried out. "What if she dies?"

"Then it's my choice." Owl said. As she reached out and took Sunblaze's hand, she said, "I'm scared too. But I have to try. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't."

For a moment, Sunblaze stared into her face, trying to figure out what he could say to dissuade her. But instead, he hugged her close and said, "Come back."

"I-I will." Owl said, as she relished the moment for as long as she could. But finally, Sunblaze let go and backed away. Owl turned then, as the others gave what they knew could be their last goodbyes. Each of them embraced her, each of them looked on her with eyes filled with tears. But she finally was able to turn to the column of light in the center of the room. Slowly, she walked towards it, Nightstalker following every step. When they reached it, the bat whispered, "You have to recite an incantation. The rest will do itself." The bat whispered the words to her; Owl nodded her reply. She walked into the light then, as she heard her grandfather say, "I couldn't have been prouder of you."

Then the words faded, as the power of Trigon began to take hold. Quickly, Owl spoke the words of the incantation;

_The gem was born of evil's fire.  
The gem shall be his portal.  
He comes to claim. He comes to sire  
The end of all things mortal._

The power shot out of her eyes, and into the ceiling as the others watched in horror. For a second, the light absorbed it, then it changed to a dark red. The light suddenly slanted then, as it directed itself into the rubble. Suddenly there was a flash of red, so bright it blinded the New Titans. But when it cleared, Sunblaze saw Owl lying on the ground, unconscious, but still alive. With a cry of joy, he ran to her, as Nighstalker met him there. For a moment, the two of them relished their happiness, but it ended in a heartbeat.

A footstep echoed through the room, then another, then another. Slowly, the group turned to see the figure of Slade walk out of the shadows. The villain took a deep breath, as if he was tasting air for the first time. "My flesh and blood." He said, looking at his restored body once again. Turning his gaze upward, he saw the New Titans staring in abject horror. "Thank you." Slade said to them. "Now you can die."


	34. From One Comes Many

Sorry for taking so long everybody, but I had to drive to Boston and back over the weekend, plus work on my Avatar story. I hope you like the new chap anyway.

Chap. 34

From One Comes Many

Before anyone could react to that, Slade called demonfire to his hands and hurled it at the New Titans. But Nightstalker drew up his sword, and batted it away. "You're going to have to try harder then that, Slade." The bat said, as he got to his feet.

"Oh believe me, I will." Slade answered with a tinge of demonic glee. Slade suddenly crouched down, and then sprang at 'Stalker, his body going alight with demonfire. But this time, green fire halted his attack, as Sunblaze fired off a series of starbolts, knocking the undead villain off balance. But Slade recovered quickly; dousing the demonfire, he managed to flip back onto his feet, and suddenly slammed his fists onto the ground, sending fiery cracks towards the two Titans. The cracks moved too swiftly for them to avoid, and the fire washed over their bodies. Screaming in pain, they collapsed to the ground.

"I think you need to try harder as well." Slade said as he looked at his two fallen foes. "Now then, I believe I have some revenge to play out." He said, as he looked down at the unconscious body of Owl. "She'll do for starters." He whispered as he called upon the demonfire once again.

But before Slade could put his plan to effect, there was a roar, and a set of teeth and claws sank into his back. But despite the attack and weight of the tiger, Slade merely grabbed Manimal's paws and flipped him down onto the ground. "And I thought your father was pathetic." Slade muttered, as the tiger reverted back to human form.

"His father wasn't pathetic, and neither is mine!" came a voice from behind him. Slade turned to face it, only to be met by a sonic cannon burst. The villain was hurled against the wall of the room, cracking the rock wall. "I don't care how strong you are, you're not taking us down without a fight!" Metallix yelled, as he hoisted his cannon for another shot, the other Titans standing behind him. Slade turned, and saw that Nightstalker and Sunblaze were getting to their feet, as was Manimal.

"Perhaps you're right. So, let's have a more appropriate battlefield." The villain said. Underneath his feet, the demonfire burst forth, shooting him up into the air. As the group watched, Slade forced the fire out form his hands as well, drilling a hole through the rock ceiling.

"He's getting to the surface. Come on!" Nightsatlker yelled, as he raced for the stairs. Sunblaze paused a moment to pick up Owl and then followed, Manimal and the other Titans behind him.

Above, the streets of Jump City were calm. Few people came to this section of the city, generally known as the 'waste dump.' It was filled with nothing but broken buildings and cracked streets that were too expensive to fix. Therefore, no investors or businesses put up shop there. Tonight that was a good thing too, because if anyone had seen the city's greatest villain shoot out of the ground in flame and land, the panic would have spread like a plague.

Slade looked over the city with almost nostalgic eyes. It had been so long since he'd seen a living city. Everything had been fire and brimstone and death for many years; now he was finally able to look at the city where he had done so much in his life. And as he looked, Slade felt pity. Pity that he returned to this city, only to burn it down.

"It is rather beautiful." He said aloud. "Sad really."

"It's less of a pity then you think." A voice yelled from behind him. Slowly, Slade turned to see the New Titans emerge from the staircase.

"I suppose you want to stop me?" the villain asked nonchalantly. "Do you really think you can?"

"You bet we do!" Kestrel yelled as she ran forward. Flipping up into the air, she prepared to drive her talons into Slade's mask. But the villain simply reached up and caught her by the throat.

"I nearly broke your father." He said as Kestrel struggled to break his grasp. "What chance do you think you have?" With that, he threw the girl into a nearby wall; she slumped to the ground.

"You son of a bitch! Get away from my sister!" Sunblaze yelled, as he charged the villain, starbolts flying. They struck Slade, but if they had any effect, he didn't feel it. Slade simply called the demonfire to himself again, and fired at Sunblaze. But before the flames could strike, the ground rose up into a shield that took the brunt of the blow.

"Not bad, Terra." Slade said, as the young earthmover brought the wall down. "But I don't remember teaching you to protect people."

"She got that from me." Groundquake said, as he popped out of the ground behind Slade. The villain whirled around as the dog brought his hammer down. But Slade merely reached up and caught it, as he and 'Quake became locked into a battle of strength. Slowly, but surely, Slade pulled the hammer back up, as Quake stared in disbelief. But before he could push the hammer back all the way, there was a roar, and a huge pair of furry arms wrapped around the undead villain as the bear-Manimal threw him to the ground.

Slade pulled himself up, only to be pushed further back by a bombardment of shadowfire and lightwaves. He skidded for at least twenty feet, and when he finally came to a halt, Slade saw all of the New Titans standing together, Nightstalker and Lightweaver at the front. As Slade rose to his feet, the group suddenly let loose with a combined barrage of all their powers, a huge wave that rushed towards Slade with unbelievable speed. But as it came for him, Slade fought back with a wall of demonfire. The two forces battled it out, each side pressing with all their strength. But somehow, Slade managed to press him wall forward, pushing both it, and the attacks from the New Titans back at them. The energy crashed into them hard, and they slammed through a nearby building. As Slade watched the rubble settle around them, he said, "My, that was easy. I expected at least a good fight."

"You're not done yet." A voice said from behind. Slade turned to see Owl standing there, her powers at the ready.

"Oh, I see you managed to avoid the fighting. How nice." Slade said. "So like your mother. You know, she ran from me; it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"You gonna talk or fight?" Owl said, confidence echoing in her voice. "You're not gonna destroy me with words."

"Oh, you think I plan to destroy you?" Slade asked in astonishment, as he faced down Owl. "I have far bigger plans for you and your parents, as does my master."

"And what would that be?" Owl asked, her guard up for any attack.

"Why don't I show you?" Slade replied as he held out his open palm. The villain's one eye closed a moment, as he concentrated on some strange power. Owl watched in amazement as a tendril of demonfire grew from his outstretched palm, then began to change. It grew darker, more crimson, before finally becoming blood red. Then, it parted a moment, as something that looked like a 'will o' the wisp', a ball of light, flew into the flames that then stretched back to cover it.

"This is my plan little girl." Slade said, as he opened his eye again. "And you'll understand it better in a few minutes." Suddenly, he shot forth a blast of demonfire above Owl's head, striking the lamppost that she was right under. It sliced right through the supports, and it fell and pinned Owl to the ground before she could even see what it was. As she struggled to free herself, Slade wound up his other arm and hurled the strange blood-red fire at the young girl.

At the same time, a figure began to emerge from the rubble. It shook its head to clear the cobwebs, and then turned just in time to see Slade launch the fireball at Owl. It immediately starting running.

Owl stopped struggling as she saw the world around her begin to glow red. Looking up, she saw the flames coming towards her, and she froze like a deer in the headlights. All her confidence and collectiveness fell apart under the gaze of that red fire. The flames overtook her mind and her eyes widened as she waited for the fire to consume her and work their evil magic. But then, something appeared in the path of the flames. There was a flash, a scream, and then the red faded. As it did, Owl shook her head, trying to clear her mind. But when she did, she almost wished for the flames to return. For lying on the ground, writhing against some unknown pain, was Sunblaze.

"NOOOO!" she screamed out, as she struggled against the lamppost again. Slade merely shrugged and said, "Well, that's one early. Time for number two." He began to call the fire again, but before he could, the earth around him suddenly grew around, surrounding him like an amoeba. Before Slade could finish, it had wrapped around him, encasing him in a human sized tomb.

"Hurry, we can't hold him forever." Terra gasped, as she and Groundquake tried to hold the earth shut around Slade. Owl turned her head to see the other Titans, battered and bruised, but alive, come forth. Metallix pulled the lamppost off of her, and she got up and ran over to the form of Sunblaze, the others following.

"What is it? What's happening to him?" she asked frantically, as the young boy twisted in pain.

"I-I don't know." Nightstalker stammered, his confusion fueling his worry over the boy. "I didn't expect something like this…."

Suddenly, Sunblaze arched forward and let out a howl like he was having a spear run through him. As the others stared in horror, his skin began to change, as red scale flowed down over his arms. His armguards popped off, as long spikes grew from his forearms. The rest of his costume began to tear as well, as his body started to grow. But the worst change was his forehead. As Owl gasped in horror, the skin split apart, and two eyes poked their way to the surface.

"Rivers!" Kestrel screamed, as she saw the transformation wracking her brother's body. "Help him, please!" she begged Nighstalker.

"I don't know if I can." The bat said. "But I do know what this is. This is a demon possession. That flame had a demon spawn in it, and it's inside Rivers and changing his body to fit itself."

"Well, then get it out!" Kestrel yelled. "Where in the hell did he get a demon spawn anyway? Does Trigon fucking have them too?"

"Oh my God, he does." Manimal said suddenly. "Don't you remember Grampa? You said Trigon had ninety-nine unborn children before Mom? What if that's how Slade got back; what if he merged with them somehow?"

"Of course." Lightweaver breathed. "They're not alive, and they hunger for life, so they'd be able to sustain Slade in the mortal world; that's why he was able to come out before and why he needed another spawn to wish him back. The spawn are held to the same rules as Trigon, but they aren't blocked like he is. But Slade can't hold them forever or they'd destroy him. So he's giving them mortal bodies."

"But how do we save him?" Owl asked, as Rivers let out another howl as the demon inside altered his body.

"It's moving too fast. We'd never be able to do an exorcism in time." The bat answered, a weary tone creeping into his voice. "We have to stop it before it takes over."

"Stop it…. Wait, NO! I won't let you!" Kestrel cried out, as she started to leap at Nightstalker, only to have Lightweaver grab her and hold her back. "It's the only way." The fox said as she held the girl.

Nightstalker moved to stand over River's body. Owl looked up at him, unsure of what he was going to do. The bat motioned for the girl to move to the side; she did so quietly. Slowly, the bat drew his sword; as it glinted in the moonlight, the New Titans understood what he planned to do. He flipped the sword downwards, so that it was held blade first over River's head. The bat tightened his grip on the handle, raised it above his head, and whispered, "Star, Robin, forgive me." Then, as he had been prepared to do twenty years ago with the possessed Raven, the bat drove the blade of his sword down…..

* * *


	35. Faith and Innocence

Sorry this took so long to upload everyone, but the computer was screwing with me last night. Trust me though, the wait is worth it!

Chap. 35

Faith and Innocence

And just like twenty years ago, the blade didn't hit its target. But this time, it wasn't because Nightstalker couldn't do it. The sword hung in the air, suspended in it's descent by a covering of black energy. The bat turned then, and saw Owl's hand outstretched, her powers holding him back.

"Owl, let go of the sword." He said.

But the young girl shook her head. "No Grampa, I can't. I can't let you do this."

"Katie," he began, hoping for the right words. "There is no other way. This thing is taking him over. When it finishes, River's soul will be extinguished. We don't have time to exorcise it. We have to free Rivers before it takes him over, and this is the only way. If you really care about him, let me do this."

"I do care about him." Owl said, not caring who heard any longer. "And that's why I can't let you do this."

"Katie, what can you do to save him?" Manimal asked.

"I can heal him." She answered simply.

"Absolutely not!" Lightweaver cried out. "Katie this isn't like a wound or a disease. This is a demonspawn, and it's one that has hungered for life for decades! It would take a master healer to do it properly, and frankly Katie, you still haven't mastered it."

"I don't care!" Katie yelled back, her emotions coming through. "I can't let him go like this! I can't just sit by and then live the rest of my life knowing I didn't do anything to help!" Turning back to Nightstalker, she begged, as her eyes began to water "Please, let me try. Don't make me regret."

Now, Nightstalker knew that demon possessions like this were almost impossible to break. He knew that only the very best healers had ever succeeded at what Katie wanted to do, and even then only by the slimmest of margins. He knew that Katie was still struggling with the full range of her healing powers, and that she had little to no chance of success. But as he looked at her, he saw a look in her eyes that he recognized instantly; the look that said love and hope could accomplish anything. He recognized it because once, it had been in his eyes. It had let him ignore everything he knew and go on what he _felt, _let him go from destroyer to redeemer.And it had given him happiness he never could've imagined. But if he had ignored his feelings, if he had gone with what he knew…..

"Five minutes." He said, as Katie's face broke with relief and happiness. "Any more, and he'll be beyond saving."

"Thank you." Katie said, as the tears rolled down her face.

"Hey guys," Groundquake gasped from the side, as the sweat rolled down both his and Terra's faces. "That sounds like a great plan, but if you're gonna do it, you'd better do it now!"

With that, the rock prison holding Slade began to crack and splinter. Terra and 'Quake tried to hold on as the others prepared themselves, but the strain was too much. The rock exploded outward in a storm of dust and debris that clouded the space between them. The two Earthmovers tried to find their enemy in the smog, but before they could even begin to look, twin blasts of demonfire shot outwards, striking them both and hurling them back. As they fell to the ground, Slade menacingly walked forward, and said, "I hope you have better then that."

"Titans, GO!" Lightweaver yelled, as she leapt forward, the Lightblade extending from her gauntlet. But Slade blocked her attack, and the two began to duel, sparks flying as they struck.

"Come on, we need to buy time!" Terra yelled, as she jumped in to help. Metallix and Groundquake nodded, and they followed, Manimal and Kestrel following behind.

"Move Katie, they can't hold him off for long." Nightstalker said urgently as Katie kneeled down in front of the still struggling Sunblaze. Pulling down her hood, she readied herself, and placed her hands on his chest. Closing her eyes, she let the energy flow out, as Nighstalker silently counted the seconds.

At first, everything was normal. Then Katie gasped as she felt the power of the spawn. When she had healed before, it had been like she was sending out 'threads' to rework the broken patchwork of a person's body. But now, it felt like she was trying to reach a patchwork covered in sludge, blocked from her reach. But then the blockage began to work against her, trying to rip the threads apart and her with them. But Katie pressed on and resisted, as Nightstalker watched anxiously.

_00:00_

"Dammit, why won't you go down!" Lightweaver snarled, as she twisted to bring the Lightblade down once again.

"Because it takes more then you to stop me." Slade answered, as he caught the blade in his hand. The purity of the blade smoked against his hand, but Slade took no notice. Before Lightweaver could pull the blade out, he placed his hand on her armored chest and infused the fox's body with demonfire. She screamed as the fire reached through, burning both her body and soul. As she began to fall against the strain, Slade tightened his grip and began to increase the flow. But before he could finish, a wave of rock and energy shot forth, throwing him off Lightweaver.

"Well, I haven't felt that in a while." He said, as he rode the impact and saw Terra and Metallix advancing on him. Unfazed, Slade drew up twin blasts of demon fire and shot them at his foes. Metallix threw himself out of the way, avoiding the blast entirely. Terra however, tried to create an earth shield to protect her. But the demonfire was too strong, and the shield shattered as it struck it. Terra was struck by the combination of rock and flame and was thrown backwards onto the ground.

"TERRA!" Metallix yelled, as he stopped to watch. His anger growing, the young boy turned back to Slade. Stretching out his hands, Metallix grew his arms out towards Slade, as his hands grew in size to at least double the size of Slade's body. As the hands landed on either side of the villain, Metallix suddenly moved to slam them together, and crush Slade. But before they could come together, Slade put out his own hands and held the two hands apart with his demonic strength. Undeterred, Metallix pushed back, trying even harder to push his hands together. But he only had determination; Slade had more powers, and many evil ways to use them. The villain allowed the hands to come together a bit more, then when the space between had shrunk enough, he released a wave of demonfire, scalding them. Metallix howled in pain, and in his shock, released the pressure. Slade took this opportunity to fire directly at Metallix, slamming him back onto the ground next to Lightweaver, his elongated arms slowly shrinking back into his body.

_01:27_

For close to two minutes, Katie had been fighting the sludge. For that time, they had seemed to be evenly matched. But now, Katie was starting to tire under the strain, while the spawn had pressed on hard. The threads felt smaller now, made of thin, weak material that was being torn apart. Sweat rolled down Katie's brow, as she kept reaching out, kept trying to get past it to the patchwork underneath it. But it was getting harder and harder to do, and Katie felt herself tiring out. Soon, she would be unable to go any longer.

_01:58_

Seeing both Metallix and Lightweaver taken down, Slade turned his attention to the form of Terra. He still owed a debt to the girl to trapping him below the earth, and Slade always paid his debts. He could stop Raven's daughter later; the girl had no chance to stop what was happening to the boy. But the chance to take down Terra, was a much rarer and far sweeter opportunity at the moment.

Slade began to walk towards the girl, but then he heard a sound behind him, a sound like a deep-seated growl. "You are as foolish as your father." He said, as he turned to meet the tiger crouched behind him. But before Slade could fry his young foe, Manimal leapt into the air, ready to pounce on the villain. Slade readied himself, but before he could strike the massive form of the tiger, it vanished in a puff of smoke, to be replaced by a squirrel, of all things. Slade almost chuckled, thinking that this boy was even dumber then his father. But Manimal had a plan. He landed on Slade's shoulder and before the villain could attack, the squirrel began to run around his body, moving to fast for him to attack. Angered, Slade began to twist and turn, trying to strike the quickly moving animal. But Manimal had remembered his first lesson well; it is not the size of the animal, but how well you use it. And this form was one the young boy knew how to use very well, as he darted in and out of Slade's grasp as the villain grew angrier and angrier.

Then Manimal made his move. Running in between Slade's legs, he halted for a split-second, praying that Slade's anger would lead to a mistake. And thankfully it did; as Slade's fist came down to strike the squirrel, Manimal leapt out of the way, and Slade's fist came down hard on two things that squirrels are quite good at guarding. The villain's lone eye widened, as he bent over in pain.

"Oh, did that hurt?" said a voice, as Manimal leapt off and regained human form next to Slade. The villain looked up and walked right into a flying dropkick from Kestrel. He went sprawling back, as the girl landed next to Manimal. The two Titans nodded at each, proud of their teamwork. But before they could plan their next move, Slade flipped back to his feet, and moving with a speed fueled by pain and rage, grabbed Manimal and drove a fist right into the boy's face. He crumpled to the ground, and as Kestrel began to throw a punch of her own, Slade caught and delivered a vicious kick to her face. Kestrel too crumpled, and Slade, speaking in a voice wracked with frustration, "No one…. Does….that to me." Seeing his two foes incapacitated, Slade turned his attention back to Terra.

But before he could, Slade felt a bar pulled against his throat. "You are not going to take her, you undead son of a bitch!" Groundquake spat as he pulled Slade back with his hammer against the villain's throat. But Slade violently bent down, throwing the dog off and forcing him to relinquish his hammer. 'Quake however, twisted in mid air and landed on his feet right in front of the form of Terra.

"How nice. The father protecting his daughter." Slade said, as he and 'Quake began to circle each other. "It would've been nice if you could've done this before, when she needed you."

"Shut up." Groundquake growled.

"You know, I was more of a father to her. I taught her how to use her powers, how to control them. Where were you? Off on some adventure that was more important? Or did you get another woman drunk so you could get a second child and make it up to yourself?"

"SHUT UP, YOU SOUL-SUCKING FUCK!" Groundquake screamed as he leapt at Slade. But the villain sidestepped the charge and 'Quake fell to the ground next to him. The dog instantly turned, but he was too late. Slade launched a fireblast at the now unguarded Terra. Under his helmet, Eddie gasped as he got to his feet and began to run. For the dog, time seemed to slow, as he raced alongside the flames. Sweat seemed to roll off the dog's armor, as he put all that he had into beating the fire. Finally, just as it almost hit Terra, 'Quake whipped around and managed to put his body right in front of the flame's path.

Terra moaned as the light began to come back into her eyes. Slowly, she began to open them, only to be blinded again a second later by the light of ungodly flames. Then, she went deaf a second later as screams of pain filled the air. Yet still, Terra could see as the flames consumed Groundquake's armor. She could hear the screams as they reached his skin and began to burn away his fur. All of this happened in less then a minute, and then he fell to the ground, his body black and burned.

"Eddie!" Terra screamed as she moved over to him. Lifting up his head, she begged him, "Please Eddie, you can't die. You can heal this; you can heal anything." But the dog could only groan, as his head lolled to the side.

"You can't do this to me!" she screamed as she shook his body. "You can't leave me again! I waited my whole life to find you!" As tears began to flow from her eyes, she cried out, "Please Daddy, don't leave me again." But as Terra cried, one of the dog's hands stretched out to grab the earth below him. The touch sent the power of the earth back into its Knight, and slowly, his body began to heal. Terra watched in amazement as the dog's body glowed with power. But before it finished, Terra felt a hand wrap around her head, and then felt a fist ram into her face. As she fell over Eddie's still healing body, Slade said, "You know, I think I'll wait for you. I think I'll take your uncle out first, by killing his granddaughter right in front of him."

_02: 45_

Katie heard the sounds, as Slade made his way past her friends. She heard his footsteps as he advanced on her and Nightstalker. She heard the hiss of steel, as Nightstalker drew his sword and the clang as he attacked Slade. But she also heard the sounds of bones changing and cracking, of a voice deepening. And she felt the hope that had fueled her begin to fade away.

_03:26_

"I knew it would be you." Slade said, as she blocked 'Stalker's blow. "You never when to lay down and die."

"And you do?" the bat asked, as he drove his sword down again. But Slade sidestepped the blow, and let the bat's fury and strength drive it into the ground. As Nightstalker struggled to remove his sword, Slade came up from behind, ripped off the bat's helmet, and drove his fiery hands into the bat's eyes. Brett screamed, as blood began to run down his face. Slade increased the flames, and after three seconds, the bat fell to the ground, his face a scarred, bleeding mess.

"Now there's just one loose end to tie up." Slade said, as he turned towards Katie.

_03: 45_

"Please." She whispered weakly, as Slade drew closer and closer. "Please God, let me do this. Let me save him."

"Don't waste your breath." Slade answered. "God has no power here. And neither do you. And I thought you could be what your mother failed to become. Pathetic."

But if she heard Slade, Katie didn't show it. She kept whispering; "If you can hear me, don't take him. He has so much left. We need him. _I_ need him. I can't live without him in my life. Please God, don't take him yet; I love him too much."

Now, I can't say that any religion has painted the perfect picture of God. I can't say that there even is a God, or if he's just an idea from humanity's mind, born of our fear of the unknown. What I can say is if there is a higher power, and if it watches over us and listens to our prayers, it heard Katie's that night. As Slade came within a footstep of Katie, a white light suddenly poured down from her hands. It spread over River's body and as it spread, his body arched back and a dark voice erupted from his mouth and howled in pain. Slade suddenly grabbed his chest and backed away, staggering as if in pain himself. Behind him, Brett pulled himself up, his eyes already beginning to heal, and watched as the light began to pour out of Katie's mouth and eyes as well, spreading out like the force of an explosion. As the bat watched, the light seemed to wash over him as well, and he felt his wounds begin to seal and close.

The others felt it spread over them as well. They felt their bodies heal, they felt their spirits restored, and their confidence come back. The light began to fade then, as it slowly pulled back into Katie. As it drifted away from the Titans, and left the body of Rivers, Katie felt as if she was being drawn back into her body after she had exited it. As her vision returned, she heard a gasp from below her. She looked down, not daring to hope. What she saw was a boy, dressed in a tattered purple costume, looking around as if he was seeing the world anew. Then he looked up, and he smiled, the grin echoed in the green eyes that she had loved since the first time she'd seen them.

But then, there was a noise to the side of them, a strange, muted roar that caused them both to turn around gasp. Next to them, it's body slowly changing to white, was a small creature that looked like nothing more then a baby Trigon. The creature spat and hissed at them as they looked, but as it's body changed completely to white below the neck, it paused and stared at them with evil in it's eyes.


	36. The Angel, The Demon, and the Balance

Chap. 36

The Angel, The Demon, and the Warden

"Is that what was inside me?" Sunblaze asked, as he looked at the demon-thing.

"You bet it is." Nightstalker said, as he got to his feet. "But it's harmless now. Katie brought it into our plain of existence and sterilized it."

"I-I did? How?" Katie asked in amazement and disbelief.

"The same way your mother did. You dug down and found your own power, not the power Trigon put in the bloodline. It's anathema to Trigon and all like him, because it is their own power turned against them. And that includes Slade now that he's connected to the spawn." Slowly, the bat walked over to his granddaughter, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I was wrong. Your belief and faith that Rivers could be saved was what saved all of us. I'm sorry I doubted you."

"How…. Touching…" came a wheezing voice from behind them. The New Titans turned to see Slade standing up, albeit weakly. "But…. One…. Spawn… is not…. Ninety-nine. You can't….. stop us."

"Oh I can." Katie said, as she came to the front. "I'm not scared of you Slade. And I'm not scared of what's inside you. You couldn't destroy my mother and you can't destroy me. You know why? Because you can't destroy our family."

"And you never will." Said Kestrel as Slade whipped around to see her standing behind him. But just as Slade saw her, Terra appeared next to her. Then Groundquake and Manimal appeared to the sides. Metallix stood by Katie, as Sunblaze slowly got to his feet.

"My my. So many enemies." Slade gasped. "But it looks like you're short one. Where's the fox?"

"Right here." Lightweaver said, as she appeared next to her husband. "But there's still someone else you have to meet." With that, she reached out for Nightstalker's hand. The bat grasped it back, and suddenly, a strange mixture of light and darkness spilled forth. Both the Titans and Slade shielded their eyes, though they all knew what was coming. And once it faded, they were all proved right. Once again, the Almagan, the living mixture of light and dark, stood in Jump City again. Slade stared in horror at this creature that was literally split down the middle; its left side and face was that of a feather-winged female angel, it's right that of a bat-winged demon sorcerer. It rose it's left hand, the staff of light shining purely, and said in it's voice that was a man and a woman speaking at once , "Much that is in you is dead, Slade. But we are master of life and death. What is dead can be restored; and what has never tasted life shall taste it."

With that, the living contradiction brought up it's weapons, the staff of light, and the flaming sword of shadow, and with a furious battle cry, released their energy at the figure of Slade. He tried to move, but the beams struck him head on, and he hovered there, transfixed as the energy poured into him. Slowly, light balls like those he had put into the flame poured out of him, attracted by the darkness. But as they emerged, they were struck by the light and began to change as life poured into them. The balls began to grow, and to become living spawn. The process continued, until all ninety-nine spawn were emptied from Slade's body. The Almagan stopped then, and Slade's body crumpled to the ground, unconscious and barely breathing.

But the Almagan paid no attention to them, and called out, "Keep the spawn together, they cannot escape!" For indeed, some of the creatures, filled with their father's evil, were trying to run from their attackers. But the New Titans were ready. As some tried to force their way out, blasts of sonic energy forced them backwards. A huge bear grabbed the new spawn and threw them back, as Kestrel kicked more then a few back. Starbolts stopped the progress of others. Finally, they were all forced back together, and as the spawn stewed, the earth around them rose up and became a series of walls, trapping them inside.

"Katie, you must do it now!" The Almagan said. "Only your power can stop them."

Katie nodded, and pulled her hood up once again. Owl walked over to the pit, and called up the power inside her. The white light streamed forth from her, as the spawn cowered and screamed in pain. The light vanished in seconds, but the spawn remained, trapped and sterilized like their fallen brother.

"Well, that went well." Groundquake said, as he looked the spawn inside the pit. Their bodies were all ready halfway white, and soon, they'd be totally helpless.

"But if this it, where are our parents?" Metallix asked, as she looked around in confusion. "Where are the other Knights?"

"This isn't it yet." The Almagan replied. "We have not finished. The spawn must be returned to hell and sent away from Earth forever."

"How do we do that?" Sunblaze asked, as the Almagan glowed, and split back into Brett and Sara.

The bat sighed, and said, "I have no idea, Rivers. I really don't."

"Oh don't worry about it." A voice said from behind them. Turning, the Titans saw a figure emerge from the shadows. He was dressed in a long black coat, with a hat pulled down over his face.

"Friend of yours?" Sunblaze asked Nightstalker, as the man began to walk forward.

"Not exactly." The bat replied, as he pulled off his helmet and stared at the black man. As he drew closer, the bat heard a distinct sound; a rhythmic sound like the hooves of a horse; _clip-clop, clip-clop. _At that moment, the Knight of Shadow realized who stood before him. Slowly he gave the man his berth, as he walked towards the imprisoned spawn. As the black man drew near, the spawn actually began to tremble.

"Now, now," the man whispered in a voice that seemed as smooth as honey, but somehow laced with poison. "Did I say you could come up here? No, I didn't. I taught this lesson to your father, and I'll teach it to you."

With that, he raised up both his hands high above his head. As the spawn continued to shake, the ground below them actually opened up, and one by one, they fell inside. Once the last spawn was below ground, the man lowered his hands, and the ground reformed. "Grandkids. Quite a handful, aren't they?" he said, turning to Brett.

"Any kind of kid is." The bat replied. The man chuckled and said, "See that's why I always liked you. Not only do you send plenty of business, you also have such a good sense of humor."

"Grampa, who is this guy?" Katie asked, as she looked on in confusion.

"Yeah, he seems like a weirdo." Bart whispered.

At that, Brett squirmed a bit, and said, "You should really show him some respect. He is your family after all."

"Huh?" both of them asked in unison.

Brett sighed, and asked, "Shall I tell them Scratch, or do you want to?"

"Oh please let me." The newly named black man said, as he reached for his hat and collar. "I get so few chances to impress new people, you know." With that, the man pulled away his disguise, and the Titans gasped. Underneath, he was a small man, wiry and not very strong looking. His nails were somewhat long, stretching at least a few inches away from his fingers. His head was completely bald, and a small pointed goatee sprouted from his chin. But what the Titans saw was red skin, a furry lower body with goat legs that ended in hooves, a forked tail, and two long horns that sprouted from the forehead.

"OH DEAR JESUS, IT'S SATAN! QUICK, SOMEBODY SHOOT IT!" Metallix screamed as his arm twisted into a sonic cannon. But the Devil merely laughed and said, "Boy, if organized religion couldn't kill me in the entire span of human existence, how much good is a fancy gun going to do you?"

"Put it away, Martin. He has no business with us." Sara said, as her eyes narrowed at Scratch. "Do you, Beelzebub?"

"Not this time, my dear." The Devil replied with a grin. "And please, call me Scratch. You know I like that name best. Now then, where's that little masked boy of mine?"

At that, Brett motioned for Slade to be brought forward. Eddie and Terra quickly dragged him up, and then backed away as Scratch came forward. Like the spawn, Slade trembled as Scratch approached. Once he was within two feet of the villain, the Devil shook his head, and said, "Slade, Slade, Slade. You know, I had a good spot for you in my army. But you had to screw it up and work for that insane son of mine. Well don't worry, I've got a special little room for you downstairs, right next to Hitler. In the meantime, I think I'll give you a little torture for now."

With that, Scratch suddenly slammed his hand onto Slade's forehead. The villain arched back, as the demonfire was drawn out of his body and absorbed back into Scratch. After a moment, the Devil pulled his hand away, and Slade slumped forward.

"You're mortal again Slade." Scratch said. "And this time, you are blocked from any power that comes from my jurisdiction. But just think, now you can start your empire all over again."

"What do you mean, start his empire?" Kestrel asked. "You said you had a room for him."

"And I do." Scratch replied. "But he's got a very specific reservation, and he can't break it. One of the little treaties in my agreement with the man upstairs. For every force of good that's created, there must be an equal evil force. So, New Teen Titans Return of Slade. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll beat him again."

"Are you serious?" Kestrel shot back.

"He can lie about many things, but he can't lie about this." Brett replied. "If this is what Scratch says, then it's true. Eddie, let him go."

The dog's eyes narrowed, but he knew the agreement just as well as his brother, so with a clench of his fist, Eddie released the rock around Slade. The villain stretched for a moment, then looked at the Titans with a malicious gaze.

"Don't think about it Slade." Scratch said. "You'd best get going. I may keep you here, but I'll be just as happy to see you back home. And I'm not above giving these kids a little help to do it." Slade looked at the Devil for a moment, then slowly backed away and before anyone could stop him, ran off into the night.

"You couldn't have stopped him or something?" Kestrel snapped, as Slade vanished into the city night.

"I don't stop the bad guys little girl. I just punish them." Scratch answered. "Don't worry though, I'm sure you'll stop him; you've got Nightstalker after all."

"What is it with you two?" Kestrel asked, looking over at the bat. "Did you work together or something?"

"You might say we've been working together for years." Scratch said with a chuckle, while Brett grimaced. "This boy's sent plenty of losers down to me over the years, haven't ya?"

"Not by choice." Brett muttered.

"But ya did anyway." Scratch said. "Besides, I still owe you for taking care of my granddaughter all these years."

"Grandaughter…. Would that be Raven? I'm mean if Trigon's her real father…." Sunblaze asked.

"If Trigon's a prince of Hell, whose son would he have to be?" Eddie asked.

Sunblaze's eyes widened, as both Katie and Bart gasped. "You're telling me the devil is my great-grandfather!" Katie spat out.

"I'm afraid so." Brett answered. Katie stared in amazement, but Bart simply went, "Cool!"

"Now, him I like." Scratch said. "Kinda like his dad. Which reminds me…."

Scratch turned to the side, and as the Titans watched, fire grew from his palm and changed into a long pitchfork. Smiling, the Devil slashed at the open air, creating three vertical slashes that actually opened into a strange ethereal plain. As they watched, Scratch forced them open wider and then held up his hand as if he was drawing something out. Suddenly, shapes began to fly towards the slashes and within seconds, they had been pulled out and fell to the ground in a heap of bodies. Scratch lowered his hands and the slashes vanished, but as they did, smiles of joy appeared on the faces of the New Titans.

"Mom! Dad!" Bart yelled out, as he ran over to Beast Boy and Raven. Katie followed and the family embraced once again. The other Titans repeated the ceremony with their own parents, as Brett, Sara, Eddie, and Terra helped the other Elementals back to their feet and hugged their fallen brothers.

"I thought you'd like that." Scratch said, as all the families reunited. "The man upstairs asked me to do it; he's so busy with running the world and all. But he said he had a lot riding on you guys."

"Thank you Scratch." Brett said haltingly. "I know this isn't what you normally do."

"No. But I do keep the balance, and I'd better get back home if I want to keep doing that. Take care of the family."

Brett nodded, and with a cackle, Scratch disappeared in a blast of fire, leaving the others alone, but overjoyed- a strange day indeed for the Devil.


	37. In Which Many Things Are Resolved

Chap. 37

In Which Many Things Are Resolved In the Tower

"OK, so explain to me again, why did the devil let us out?" Robin asked as he sat on the Tower's couch. After the Knights and Titans had been freed, Brett suggested that they make their way back to the Tower and discuss everything there. After being in limbo for three months/ four hours, both parties agreed, happy to just be able to get to a place that was solid again.

"He has an agreement with God." Rob, the Knight of Fire explained again. He had been discussing this with Robin for the past ten minutes, since the former boy wonder's black and white perspective made what had happened seem impossible. "They both want Trigon to stay where he is, and they both want to keep the balance on Earth."

"But then why would the devil do something good?" Robin asked.

As Rob sighed and tried to explain again, Sara looked over at Starfire and said, "He hasn't changed a bit, has he?"

"Not in all the years we've been married." Star replied. "But I've tried."

"You and me both." The fox answered.

The two of them looked at each other, then laughed, as the parents went around to congratulate their children.

But while this happened, Rivers stood at the side, trying to avoid the commotion. Not that he was against it; when his parents came to tell him they were proud, he smiled and thanked them for their praise, not that it was hard to do. But the young boy kept his eyes focused on something, or rather someone else. He watched as Katie was praised by her parents and the other Knights. She took quietly, giving her sweet embarrassed smile, and softly thanking them. But eventually, she heard enough, and quietly excused herself. As she moved to a further part of the room, away from the others, Rivers saw his opening and took it.

Slowly, he walked over to her, as she sighed, and leaned up against the wall. "Long night?" he asked jokingly, as she started at the sound of his voice.

"Oh, uh, yeah." She said sheepishly. "I guess there's only so many ways you can hear 'thank you' and 'good job.'"

"You earned them." Rivers said. "Besides, I think you have to hear them at least one more time."

"From who?" she asked, smiling at it. "I'm pretty sure I've talked to everybody."

"Not everyone. I didn't get a chance to thank you." Rivers said.

"O-Oh, you don't need to." Katie began, but Rivers put up his hand. "Yes I do. You saved my life tonight."

"You would've done the same for me." Katie said.

"But I haven't lately. I've been hurting you too, and I haven't even noticed."

"What do you mean?" Katie asked, a tremor in her voice.

Rivers took a deep breath, and speaking as quickly as he could, explained. "Katie, I know how you feel about me. I know it's real, and that you've been hiding it. But Katie the thing is, well, I've never had a girl like me before, and I didn't know what to do, or what to look for. And after tonight,….. I think I'd like to learn…. With you."

At that, both their jaws fell open; Katie's because of what Rivers had said, and Rivers for the pure fact he _had_ said it. For a moment, they both stood there in silence, too shocked to say anything. Then Katie, slowly remembering how to work her mouth, said, "Do.. do you really mean that?"

"Yes." Rivers said, as his jaw remembered how to operate. "Nothing would be better. It took me too long to realize how pretty you are, how kind and sweet you are, all those things I've missed. I want to make sure I don't miss anymore."

Katie's' face broke into a huge smile as River's did as well. For a few seconds, they looked at each other, then Rivers said, "Uh, am I supposed to kiss you right now?"

"I think so?" Katie answered nervously.

"Hey, let me help!" a voice said from behind them. Before Rivers could move, Bart gave him a slight push, and the teenage boy stumbled into Katie. She held him in place, and as they realized just how close they were, Rivers leaned down, and gently placed his lips onto Katie's. The girl's eyes widened in shock, but less then a second later, she kissed back as she wrapped her arms around him.

"To be honest, I don't know." Brett said to Beast Boy. "I mean there's still a….. what the….. oh man you better turn around!" the bat said with a laugh. Beast Boy turned around, in time to see his daughter locked in a kiss with Rivers. As Brett laughed behind him, the green one just stared, then began to smile. And with Brett laughing like a madman, the others all turned around to see. Within seconds, the room was filled with happy laughter, light applause, and from Lou, the Wolf Knight, slight howling. But none of it got through to Katie and Rivers; that is until they finally broke apart and saw everyone staring at them. The two of them instantly blushed, but seeing all their friends and family so happy for them, they really couldn't be that embarrassed.

Eventually, that spell passed, and then Greg, the cat Knight of Water said, "You know, I'm as happy to be out of the as anyone, but does anyone know what we're going to do now?"

"He's got a point. I mean, we can't all stay here." Rob added, as the others looked at him. "But we don't want to abandon you guys after everything you've done for us."

"Besides, with Slade back now, it isn't like you guys can split up and pretend this didn't happen." Dave, the squirrel Forest Knight added.

Rob nodded, and continued by saying "But we're all gonna get a new mission soon, and we'll have to leave and take Brett and the others with us."

"You can do what you want." Eddie said. "But I'm not leaving."

"What do you mean?" Rob asked, as Terra looked over as well.

"Just what I said." The dog answered. "I'm not going anywhere. I spent the last thirty-four years avoiding my responsibility. I'm not doing it anymore." Moving over to Terra, the dog put his hand on her shoulder and looking right into her eyes, said, "I am never leaving you again. You are the only reason I'm still alive."

"What?"

"I heard you tonight. I waited too long to hear that word. I want to hear it every day for as long as I possibly can." Eddie said.

"You know, I think he's on to something." Sara said suddenly. "I don't want to leave either. We've all missed time here Brett." She said, looking at her husband. "I don't want to miss anymore."

The bat was silent a moment then said, "I don't either. How long has it been for us guys? We've been jumping through time for a while now; it's been what, a century for us? Maybe it's time we split again."

At that, the other Knights looked at each other, and then Alex, the falcon Kngiht of Wind came forward. "You know Brett," the bird began. "I was gonna say the same thing."

"Me too." Lou said. "I'd like to do some traveling again by myself."

"Well then, let's decide like we always do." Brett said. "Put it to a vote; who wants to split up for ten years?" One by one, the Knights raised their hands. It was a complete shut out. Brett smiled, and turning to the New Titans, said, "Looks your teachers are gonna be staying around a while longer."

Of course, this was followed by much applause and happiness. But eventually, Brett raised his hand and said, "Hold on guys. I still have one thing left to do before you are officially Titans. I still have to pick a leader." With that, the bat drew his word and said, "All right guys, on your knees."

But the New Titans merely looked confused. Sighing, Brett said, "God, didn't anyone read about King Arthur?" At that comment, Bart smiled and walked in front of his grandfather and kneeled. Having a visual example, the others quickly followed suit kneeling nest to each other. Bowing their heads, they awaited the bat's decision.

Slowly, Brett moved up and down the line, moving his sword above the heads of the group. Occasionally, he would begin to drop the sword down, only to pull it back up and keep moving. But finally, he stopped, and stood between Martin and Katie. The bat moved his sword to the left and began to drop it down. For a second, the leader seemed obvious. But then, just as the blade was about to touch, the bat stopped, and pulled it over to the right. It touched the shoulder, and the bat said, "Rise, leader of the New Titans."

Katie stared up at her grandfather, her eyes wide with shock for the second time that night. She looked to her sides, expecting to see a row of jealous faces. But instead, she saw that everyone around was smiling at her, happy at her selection. "Grampa, I-I don't understand." She said. "I'm not a leader. I haven't done anything to earn this."

"Yes you have." The bat said. "Katie, you have been the one that kept this team together. You've been the one who's settled arguments, who's done everything to keep the team together, who's been utterly willingly to throw herself into danger for the sake of her teammates. And tonight, you did the one thing that every leader needs to do, something I forgot to do. You knew when to think with this," he said as he put his finger on her forehead. "And when to think with this." He said, moving it down to her heart. "I thought with my head and I almost ended it for everyone. You thought with your heart, and you saved us all. You earned the mantle of leader tonight."

Katie was quiet, as everything washed over her. In one night, she had gained love, admiration, and now, one of the greatest honors she could think of. It was a lot to absorb, but Katie had grown more in the last three months them some people do in their entire teenage years. She rose to her feet, and said, "I'll do my best."

Brett smiled, and hugged the girl, as the other New Titans followed in a group hug. Of course, once that ended, Raven and Beast Boy hugged her. But finally, Katie got enough space to breathe, just in time to see the other Knights staring at her with smiles on their faces.

"What's with you guys?" she asked.

"Well, we kinda realized we need to do something before we leave. And we're gonna need you, your brother, and Terra for it." Greg said.

"We're going to put you three through the initiation ceremony of the Elemental Knights." Lou explained.

"Good idea." Eddie said, as Terra and Bart came over to stand by Katie. "I'll get the goat and quarts of elephant shit."

Thankfully, that part of the ceremony was merely something Eddie made up to frighten the children. After some time, the Knights did initiate their new family, and the New Titans became the full-time protectors of the city. Brett, Sara, Eddie, and Terra remained in the Tower, as support to the group while they lived with their parents as normally as they could. Over the course of the next few years, Owl led the New Titans on several adventures, when she wasn't going out with her honor roll boyfriend. Bart and Martin developed a friendship that rivaled the one between their fathers. Lisa got back on the softball team and eventually led them to the State Championship, which she won with Robin and Bruce Wayne watching from the stands. Terra kept in school and when she became number two in the class, Eddie wept with happiness. Many other things happened, some happy, some funny, some sad. But they are too many to tell here, so I will simply say this…

_A hero's work is never done, another story will be spun_

_I can't say when it'll be, or what kind of action you will see_

_But rest assured my loyal friends, the New Teen Titans will rise again_

**THE END**

_Wow, after all these months I'm finally done. I want to offer my most sincere thanks to everyone who was kind enough to review, espically acosta perez jose ramiro and RealityBreakGirl who both remained loyal and dedicated readers for the whole of the story, and TGD3RD who kept reading after Black Rose. You guys have made this the most reviewed story I've ever written and I am unbeliveably grateful. I wasn't going to write a sequel originally, but your loyalty have inspired me. Once I get my Avatar stuff done, I'm going to sit down and write a sequel for you guys. Thank you, for making me believe that I can write a story that can entrance people and make them feel something._


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